(FOX 44) – The Texas Department of Agriculture partners with schools that have a certain percentage of students on free or reduced lunches to provide the summer meal program.
Anyone 18 and younger can get the free meals, and they do not have to be a part of the school district. No sign up or identification is required, kids can show up at the designated meal times.
“Summer’s a large break,” Director of Nutrition at Temple ISD Ian Vestal said. “We’re talking about two and a half months. So we’re really grateful that the Texas Department of Agriculture has actually stepped up and said, hey, if you have these populations, you can offer these meals during the summer.”
Normally throughout the summer Temple ISD feeds anywhere from 500 to 1,000 kids.
“We have a large student body that really we fill the need of breakfast and lunch throughout the school year for a lot of students that might not get that regular need met at home,” Vestal said.
Because grocery prices have increased, Temple predicts more kids will be in need this summer.
“The price of everything is going up,” Vestal said. “You’ve been to the grocery store. It’s hard to buy meals these days. So what we’ve done as a district is we’ve kind of beefed up our employee base and just kind of brought in enough food. We plan on feeding a large number of students.”
Killeen ISD starts its program on Monday, June 6. Breakfast will be served from 7:30 a.m. to 8 a.m., and lunch from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Days of the week vary by location.
Waco ISD‘s Seamless Summer Option 2022 Summer Feeding Program began yesterday and runs through august 9th. Sites are open Monday through Friday. Adults may eat with their child for $2.75 at breakfast or $4.15 at lunch.
Temple ISD will have eight sites this summer. Times vary by location. Adults can eat with their children for a few dollars.
Lamar Middle School – 2011 North 3rd Street, Temple, Texas 76501
June 1 – July 29
Breakfast: 8:00-9:00 a.m.
Lunch: 12:30-1:30 p.m.
Scott Elementary – 2301 West Avenue P, Temple, Texas 76504
June 1 – July 29
Breakfast: 8:00-9:00 a.m.
Lunch: 12:30-1:30 p.m.
Thornton Elementary – 2825 Cottonwood Lane, Temple, Texas 76502
June 1 – July 29
Breakfast: 8:00-9:00 a.m.
Lunch: 12:30-1:30 p.m.
Raye-Allen Elementary – 5015 South 5th Street, Temple, Texas 76502
June 1 – July 29
Breakfast: 8:00-9:00 a.m.
Lunch: 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Temple High School – 415 North 31st Street, Temple, Texas 76504
May 31 – June 24
Breakfast: 8:00-8:30 a.m.
Lunch: 12:00-1:00 p.m.
Temple Public Library – 100 West Adams, Temple, Texas 76501
June 1 – July 29
Breakfast: 8:30-9:30 a.m.
Lunch: 12:00-1:00 p.m.
Western Hills Elementary – 600 Arapaho Trail, Temple, Texas 76504
June 1 – July 29
Breakfast: 8:00-9:00 a.m.
Lunch: 12:30-1:30 p.m.
Ralph Wilson Youth Club – 1515 South 25th Street, Temple, Texas 76504
May 31 – August 11
Breakfast: 7:00-8:30 a.m.
Lunch: 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
“We recognize a large number of Temple students have a need for nutritious meals,” said Ian Vestal, director of school nutrition for Temple ISD. “We are able to provide that for them on a weekly basis during the school year in the forms of breakfast and lunch. TDA is awesome in allowing our program to continue to supply that weekly need during the summer for all children 18 and under. No ID is required. We feed all children during the summer program. You do not have to be a student enrolled in TISD.”
Visit www.summerfood.org to access an interactive meal site map.
Call 211 or text “Food” to 304-304 for more information about the program or locations.
