Fremont schools hand out five-day meal bags and milk to children through Aug. 11

Fremont City Schools’ summer meal program is handing out five days’ worth of breakfast and lunch and a half-gallon of Toph’s milk to children ages 1–18 every Monday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. through Aug. 11, district child nutrition supervisor Jessica Michael told the Fremont City Schools Board of Education.

“It’s open to every child, not just our Fremont children. Any child is eligible regardless of where they live or go to school,” Michael said during the board’s meeting, describing the program’s hours, eligibility and what each bag contains.

Michael told the board the program packs meals at the Ross cafeteria and operates across six buildings and kitchens in the district. To help ensure meals go to children, families who will not have children with them are asked to register weekly through a Google form on the district website, Michael said. That verification step is a change this summer to comply with state requirements so the district can receive federal reimbursement for the meals.

The program is run by a small paid summer crew of four district employees led by Ross cafeteria manager Candy Cane and is supported by regular volunteers from ProMedica and Temple Christian Academy, Michael said. The Fremont Police Department and the Sonoske County Sheriff’s Department have assisted with traffic control and community outreach during distributions; Rural King, Ace Hardware and Walmart have donated bags used to pack meals.

Michael said participation has increased since the first week. “That first week we only served 351 children,” she said, and later distributions drew more families. The board and administrators noted the program’s growth and praised staff and volunteers for reducing stigma and keeping the line moving.

Michael described typical bag contents: breakfast items such as frozen French toast bites, pancakes or bagels, two breakfast items for multiple days, five servings of fresh fruit for breakfasts, and lunches that have included items such as a stuffed buffalo chicken calzone, Uncrustables, string cheese and yogurt. She said menus rotate and sometimes vary when produce availability changes.

Families do not need to register if children are present at pickup, Michael added. The district directs families to enter the middle school parking lot off Cedar Street and line up behind Ross High School for distribution; she said staff and officers work to keep traffic moving safely.

Board members and administrators thanked Michael, her staff and volunteers and said the program meets an important need for many families during summer months. Michael said the district will continue to use volunteers and donated supplies to sustain the program through Aug. 11.

No board action was required or taken on the summer meal program during the meeting; Michael presented the update as part of the superintendent’s report.