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Child Nutrition seeks $145,979 software renewal, reports 121,485 meals served in summer including new home-delivery pilot
Summary
Child Nutrition requested renewal of its Heartland School Solutions subscription at $145,979 for additional modules; staff also reported the summer meals program served 121,485 meals across traditional open sites and a new USDA-authorized home-delivery pilot that enrolled 323 children in the Cape Fear attendance area.
Child Nutrition requested committee approval to renew its Heartland School Solutions point‑of‑sale and menu/production software subscription for $145,979 for the school year as it implements additional modules. Staff said last year’s rollout implemented the point‑of‑sale system and that the new modules (menu planning, production records, and an online parent-facing menu app) will be implemented during the current school year.
Child Nutrition said staff value the software for improved features but raised a practical data issue: while reports can be downloaded to Excel, the export formatting currently requires extra work before data can be manipulated as desired; an enhancement request has been submitted to the vendor.
The department also presented its annual summer meals report. The traditional summer meals program — open, congregate lunch sites open to any child age 18 or younger — operated 15 public walk-up sites this summer (school cafeterias, parks, recreation centers, and a Spring Lake library site). In addition, the district served 60 community organizations and 31 Cumberland County Schools summer learning programs and camps.
Staff reported launching a USDA-authorized, restrictive non-congregate home‑delivery pilot this summer to reach children in rural areas defined by USDA maps; the district concentrated deliveries in the Cape Fear attendance area. Eligibility required children to qualify for free meals under National School Lunch Program rules and for parents to provide written consent. The delivery boxes contained five breakfasts and five lunches per child, individually portioned with allergen information; routes were scheduled on one fixed weekday per family.
The pilot aimed to enroll 200 children; by the second week 323 children had enrolled. Two families later canceled (one moved out of the county and one child moved to grandparents). Combined, the traditional and home‑delivery programs served 121,485 meals over the summer. Staff said they received grateful responses from families and described the home-delivery drivers’ positive interactions with children.
Child Nutrition staff said plans for next year include expanding the home‑delivery program (they have applied for a grant to add a van, GPS service, and more mobile stops). The committee received the summer meal update and approved the Heartland subscription renewal motion.
