Food services director outlines plan for central kitchen after reporting 2,000 meals served in summer program

Molly Langum, the district's Food and Nutrition Services manager, told the Lake Stevens School District Board of Directors on Feb. 11 that the district's Summer Feeding Program at the Early Learning Center ran for 24 days and served more than 2,000 meals to children ages 1–18, with an average of eight adults per day also purchasing meals.

Langum said the department employs 71 staff districtwide and highlighted that the Early Learning Center remains approved for free meals for all students through June 30, 2029. She reported a 159% increase in meal participation across Stevens Creek, Mount Pilchuck and Skyline compared with the prior year and said Mount Pilchuck, Stevens Creek and Sunnycrest remain about 15–23 applications short of the 30% free-and-reduced benchmark used to qualify under House Bill 1238.

As a next step, Langum described a proposal to develop a central kitchen to serve as the district's primary receiving and distribution hub. Under the model she outlined, large-batch meals would be cooked on-site, rapidly chilled and then shipped to schools for reheating—shifting from the current "hot ship" approach to a "cold ship" model intended to improve temperature control, freshness and consistency across campuses.

Langum characterized the central-kitchen concept as a way to improve meal quality and operational efficiency but did not present a finalized budget or timeline. Board members did not take formal action on the proposal during the meeting and Langum invited continued feedback and questions from the board.

The board heard the update as part of its regular reports on buildings and programs; the district will likely return with further details, including cost estimates and implementation steps, if staff proceed with development of a centralized kitchen.