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Tri-Creek summer meal pick-up serves thousands, district says program covered by federal funding
Summary
Tri-Creek reported higher-than-expected participation in a summer noncommunal meal pick-up program, serving thousands of meals with federal reimbursement and no local dollars required.
Tri-Creek School Corporation administrators reported on June 12 that the district’s two-day summer meal distribution at the middle school exceeded planning estimates and was fully funded through a federal noncommunal meal program.
Dana (district staff) said Tri-Creek served a far larger number of pick-ups than the conservative budget estimate of 300 per distribution; she reported 623 pick-ups on the first distribution day and 752 on the second. “So that turns out to be 9,754 meals that our food service staff packed,” Dana said, and she described logistical challenges including freezer space and staging at the transportation center.
The district said the program is reimbursable through federal school nutrition funding and that no local general‑fund dollars were used. Dana said the pickup model provides multiple breakfasts and lunches (three breakfasts and lunches on Tuesday and four on Thursday) to cover several days per family and that the district prepped for 800 and served 752 on the most recent distribution day.
Dana described the scale of distribution in consumer terms: roughly 14,904 apples, 2,120 pounds of oranges, about 1,000 pounds of chicken tenders and 11,000 half‑pints/cups of milk moved through the program. She also thanked staff and local police for traffic assistance and said the operation ran smoothly after a brief learning curve on staging and check‑in.
Superintendent Dr. Anderson and board members noted the program’s potential to offset pressures on the district’s food service account; Dr. Anderson said the effort could “help sustain our food service program” and possibly avoid a price increase. The district said the program is open to children ages K–18 and is not restricted to Tri‑Creek residents; meals are provided to anyone who preregisters and drives through.
District staff said the program will continue on Tuesdays and Thursdays for the current summer offering and that organizers will refine freezer logistics and staging based on lessons learned.
