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Summer meal pickup drives record participation; Chartwells rate proposed for next year
Summary
District officials reported a summer meal pickup surge — 7,249 meals served in one week — and Chartwells requested a reduced meal rate for next year, citing increased participation that may bring the program closer to breaking even.
Burke County Public Schools reported record summer meal participation and a request from the district’s food service partner, Chartwells, to set next year’s summer meal rate at $4.40 after a week that district staff said delivered 7,249 meals.
Director Mr. Wall told the board the recent pick‑up model drove the increase in participation, prompting Chartwells to propose a reduced rate. “This past week, we fed 7,249 [for summer], which is an all‑time record,” Mr. Wall said. He told the board Chartwells had previously received about $113,000 to run the program last summer and that the district experienced a typical summer loss of about $50,000–$55,000. With the increase in participation, Wall said the program is projected to come close to breaking even or possibly show a small profit if participation continues.
The board heard a public example of the program’s community impact: a community member described arranging meal truck pick‑ups for limited‑income housing and praised the district’s responsiveness in coordinating weekly multi‑meal pickups. Administrators noted a feeding site was moved from Oak Hill to Table Rock because of traffic management concerns raised by state highway patrol.
Board action: the board approved the Chartwells summer meal rate (motion by Mr. Beck, second by Mr. Johnson) by unanimous vote.
Why it matters: summer meal programs provide nutrition for children when school is not in session, and the district’s pick‑up distribution model appears to have increased reach. The district provided contact information for new school bus driver training to expand transportation capacity during the school year.
