DULUTH, Minn. - The Duluth school district's summer breakfast and lunch program served nearly 47,000 meals last year.
This year the district is working to serve even more, as Minnesota is among the states targeted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to increase food access in low-income areas.
Outreach is always a priority, food service director Pam Bowe said, but mailings, pamphlets and postings were increased this year to ensure Duluth families know about the free summer meals that require no application or paperwork to partake. Kids 18 and younger can just show up and eat, and adults pay less than $4 for a meal.
About half of the district's 8,300 students are part of the federal free and reduced-price lunch program, signifying a low-income status.
Through Aug. 26, breakfast and lunch are served during the week at Lester Park, Lowell, Myers-Wilkins, Piedmont, Laura MacArthur and Stowe elementary schools, as well as Lincoln Park Middle School and Denfeld High School. Brown-bag lunches are offered at the Lincoln Park Boys & Girls Club.
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Funded by the USDA Summer Food Service Program, Duluth's summer meal efforts - which began more than 30 years ago - have been recognized by the Minnesota Department of Education, said Bill Hanson, business services director for the district. Duluth is called upon to offer guidance to other districts starting their own summer meal programs.
Sites operate in areas where at least half of the kids come from families with incomes at or below 185 percent of the federal poverty level, according to the USDA.
Bowe said participation has increased steadily in recent years. Her office reaches out to district families, physicians and dietitians, the city's workforce center, Community Action Duluth, CHUM and nondistrict schools within Duluth, and posts notices in public places such as grocery stores.
"We are happy to ease a little of the burden over the summer for families," she said, and it's convenient for the sites that also offer summer programs.
In Minnesota, more than 100 sponsors operate more than 475 sites in the summer, and serve 1.7 million meals, according to the Minnesota Department of Education.
Alec Staffon is branch director of the Lincoln Park Boys & Girls Club. The brown-bag lunch provided by the district in the summer allows the club to also serve a 4 p.m. meal, ensuring kids are getting lunch and dinner, he said.
"A lot of these kids aren't getting fed at home," he said. "They come here because they can get (food)."
The Boys & Girls Club in Lincoln Park sees about 40 kids on a regular basis. Staffon, who retired last week after more than 30 years with the club, said he's seen demographics in the neighborhood change over three decades, with need increasing.
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"When I first started working here, it was pretty much a blue-collar neighborhood. Most owned their own home and had two to four kids in their house," he said. "Now, most all are renters, and a lot of people are very low income. ... What we can provide is very important to them."
If you go
Kids 18 and under can eat breakfast and lunch free at Lester Park, Lowell, Myers-Wilkins, Piedmont, Laura MacArthur and Stowe elementary schools, as well as Lincoln Park Middle School and Denfeld High School. Brown-bag lunches are offered at the Lincoln Park Boys & Girls Club. Accompanying adults pay $3.80 per meal. No application is needed. Breakfast hours are 8-10:30 a.m., and lunch hours are 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. No service July 4.
