Free Summer Meals returning for LS-H Students: Le Sueur-Henderson Schools
Last summer, for the first time, Le Sueur – Henderson area children had access to free summer meals; breakfast and lunch Monday through Friday all summer. We are very excited to announce the program will be returning this summer.
Beginning Monday, June 15, anyone age 18 or younger can come to the Park Elementary School Cafeteria and eat a FREE breakfast and lunch. Yes, FREE. There is no cost. The only requirement to qualify is to be 18 years old or younger.
The Le Sueur-Henderson Public Schools, Taher Food Management Services and a local support group, in collaboration with US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Summer Food Service Program and the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) Food & Nutrition Service are able to offer this wonderful opportunity.
The program will serve breakfast and lunch Monday – Friday beginning on Monday, June 15th and run through Friday, August 28th. Breakfast will be served from 7:30–8:30 AM, and lunch will be served from 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Who can come and eat? Anyone. There are not any residency requirements. One’s address does not matter. Adults are welcome to come and eat as well. They will, however, be required to pay for their meals. An adult breakfast costs $2.10 and and adult lunch is $3.70.
How did our school district qualify? The USDA has a review process they use on an annual basis. The process takes into consideration the percentage of students that qualify for free or reduced meals during the school year and the area in which they live. LSH qualifies because 50% of our students who live in the area qualify for free and reduced lunches. In order to serve the meals at a school, the school must be in the qualifying area. The qualifying area includes both Park and the Middle/High School.
After several years of study, last year the was first year one of our schools was in a qualifying area and we are able to offer the free meals.
Even better, now that one of our sites is approved to run the program, it qualifies for five years. This will ensure our program will be sustainable and kids can count on the program being here for a number of years.
We want to encourage all children to come and eat. The way the program is designed, no matter how many children come and no matter what their circumstances are, we can ensure all children will be served a nutritious meal. Additionally, this is a terrific way for children to connect and see their friends throughout the summer.
To support this, we have incorporated our summer school classes and Kids Club with the summer meals, so all students attending summer school or Kids Club will eat for free as part their attendance in these programs.
The Summer Food Service Program is a wonderful opportunity that is designed to fill nutritional gaps and make sure all children, no matter their circumstances, can get the wholesome meals they need throughout the entire year.
Come and join us beginning Monday, June 15 for a tasty and nutritious breakfast and lunch.
If you have any questions, suggestions or need more information, please contact Jeff Morris at jmorris@isd2397.org or by calling 507-665-5813.
Rich Hanson is superintendent of Le Sueur-Henderson Schools.
