Free Summer Meals Program For DeKalb Students Launches.
On June 1, the DeKalb County School District (DCSD) launched the free 2017 “Seamless Summer Feeding Program” to hundreds of happy smiles and excited faces.
At Lakeside High School, food service experts gathered early in the morning to prepare nutritious breakfasts for hungry teens. At Evansdale Elementary School, young summer campers hopped, skipped, and jumped their way through the short line to a colorful, nutrient-dense lunch. In each of the district’s five regions, this scenario was joyfully repeated – all at no cost to families.
“Good nutrition is essential to healthy brain and body function, emotional well-being, and scholastic performance,” said Superintendent/CEO R. Stephen Green. “In the DeKalb County School District, we know that nutritional needs do not begin and end with the academic calendar. And because our students are our priority every day of the year, we are pleased to again offer free summer meals throughout the district.”
In partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture, the district offers free breakfast and lunch from June 1 through July 31 to all students – regardless of their lunch eligibility status during the school year. Breakfast is served from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m., and lunch from 11:30 to noon, Monday through Friday, at all schools hosting summer school classes. Summer meals are also offered Monday through Thursday at three centrally-located school campuses:
- Columbia Middle School – 3001 Columbia Drive, Decatur, GA 30034
- Lakeside High School – 3801 Briarcliff Rd. NE, Atlanta, GA 30345
- Mary McLeod Bethune Middle School – 5200 Covington Hwy, Decatur, GA 30035
“It is our goal to provide a no-cost source of quality nutrition while school is out in order to continue the ongoing process of readying students’ minds and bodies for learning during the upcoming school year,” added Joyce R. Wimberly, executive director of DCSD School Nutrition Services. “Last year, we provided nearly 400,000 free meals, and we look forward to continuing this much-needed service.”
For additional information including site-specific details, please contact your local school or the DCSD Nutrition Office at 678-676-0162.
To view more photos from our Seamless Summer Meals Kick-Off, please visit out Flickr page.