These Longview, TX Students Have Access to Free Meals This Summer
Thanks to a new program called 'Seamless Summer Option,' ISD, students in need within Pine Tree Independent School District won't have to go without breakfast or lunch.
When the school year is over and summer break begins, unfortunately, that can leave some students without nutritious meals. Thanks to this program put forth by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Pine Tree ISD students as young as 1-year-old up to 18-years-old will be able to access breakfast and lunch.
However, not only school kids are permitted. Pine Tree ISD Director of Nutrition, Michelle Mitchell, told KLTV:
“We get our district children, but it’s also open to the community, that they’re invited to partake in our meals that we are offered. [The USDA] have seen that the need is there to offer summer meals for children because of the inconsistencies of what is going on in our nation right now."
The summer program begins on June 6 and will be available Mondays thru Thursdays.
This program, which on average feeds between 1500 and 2000 people every day during the summer, is also made possible by those from the community willing to serve as volunteers, such as Kaytlin White, who told KLTV she's "volunteered with Pine Tree ISD’s free lunch program for the past two years and says she loves to see kids light up when they see food."
Meal service times will vary depending on which Pine Tree ISD campus a person goes to for breakfast or lunch. Contact your specific school to find out the exact times.
On a broader scale, the East Texas Food Bank will also be offering its summer food program at various sites across the area.
On their Facebook page, the ETFB's CEO said:
"This year we're looking at getting back up to 25, almost 30 sites, and serving almost 50,000 meals. We've got a lot of great partnerships with schools, parks and a variety of locations where the children need the help the most."
If you're looking for a way to help them, they also said they're facing some food distribution struggles. Any financial help given by the community will them overcome these obstacles so they may even more effectively feed the hungry of East Texas.
If you'd like to contact them and find out the best ways to help them in their efforts, contact them via their Facebook page here. If you'd like to learn more about their summer food program, you can get more info from their website here.