The Summer Food Service Program is offering free, nutritious meals for children in Bucks County
By Samantha Bambino
The Times
Summer has officially arrived in all of its “school is out” glory. The kids are home, and in today’s day and age, playing tag outside has been replaced with phones and video games from the comfort of the couch. With these extra hours spent inside, opportunities to dive into the snack drawer have increased by a lot. So what’s a parent to do? Send the kids back to school for free, nutritious meals as part of the Summer Food Service Program.
The Bensalem School District became a sponsor for the federally funded program four years ago, and has been hosting free meal sessions every summer since. After the school year ends, six schools in the area open their cafeterias for two hours each day — one for breakfast and one for lunch — for children to come in at their leisure to enjoy the free meals. No application is required, and all children ages 1–18 are welcome, no matter the district they live in.
The mission of the Summer Food Service Program is to make sure all kids can eat healthy foods during the summer months, a time when it’s most needed.
“The students are used to getting those meals,” said Bensalem School District’s Crystal DiGiacomo, who had a large hand in setting up the program. “This helps fill the gaps in nutrition.”
According to DiGiacomo, the program has been growing steadily each year. At Samuel K. Faust Elementary alone, they have 50–70 kids turn up each day. This year, the district was able to get community partners involved as well, including the Bucks County Library’s Bensalem location and the Cherokee Day Camp, both of which are designated meal sites.
To keep the kids interested, the meals change throughout the week. Hot food is served twice a week, and includes items such as pizza and chicken patties. A whole grain component is included with each meal, as well as fresh fruits such as watermelon and strawberries. On the remaining days, hoagies, chicken salad and various other cold foods are served.
Breakfast and lunch last one hour each, allowing the children enough time to enjoy the meals and catch up with friends. The food is required to be eaten on site, but if they’re unable to finish everything, one non-perishable food item can be brought with them. The district constantly monitors each site to make sure everything runs smoothly and the correct foods are served.
If a child or parent is unsure where to go for the free meals, a text service is available through the Range app, which will send them the address of the closest location. For more information, visit rangeapp.org.
The Bensalem School District meal sites are Belmont Hills Elementary, Cornwells Elementary, Samuel K. Faust Elementary, Russell C. Struble Elementary, Valley Elementary and Cecelia Snyder Middle School. For more information on dates and times, visit bensalemsd.org. To view all available sites throughout Lower Bucks County, visit fns.usda.gov/summerfoodrocks. ••
