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Dundy County Stratton summer lunch program draws 30 kids daily
BENKELMAN, Neb. — Susan Dishman said she would have been happy to feed 20 meals a day during the Dundy County Stratton public school district’s first-ever summer lunch program.
Instead, she and her staff served an average of 30 meals a day.
That’s 30 kids every day who had a good lunch when they might not have had one otherwise.
DCS Superintendent Jim Kent was pleased as well with the summer lunch program, and with Susan’s initiative to spearhead it. The program filled a need that is not always addressed for kids living in small communities, Kent said. “We were glad to be able to provide it.”
Dishman said that any and all kids 18 and under were served free of any charge, no paperwork required and no questions asked. The program ran Monday through Friday, from 11:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m., in the elementary school lunch room in Benkelman, from June 5 through Aug. 3. Susan said she sometimes had parents or grandparents accompany the kids; adults paid $4 per meal.
The summer lunch program is separate from the school district’s school-year lunch program, Susan said. The summer program is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service, which reimburses the school district for food and staffing expenses.
This summer, the USDA anticipated serving more than 200 million free meals to children 18 years and under at approved “Summer Food Service Program” sites.
The Dundy County Stratton school district qualified as an SFSP site because 53 percent of its approximately 350 students are eligible for the federal free and reduced lunch program during the school year. Approval as an SFSP site requires that over 50 percent of students be involved in the free/reduced lunch program.
Some summer feeding programs offer breakfast or lunch, or breakfast and lunch, or three meals and a snack.
Susan said DCS kids were very receptive to the lunch program. “The kids were happy to come,” she said. Each day, kids enjoyed their favorite slushies.
Susan said a kid favorite was the fresh fruit and vegetable bar because kids aren’t big fans of cooked fruits and veggies. “They’re much more receptive to fresh,” she said.
“The kids were very good. There were no complaints at all,” Susan said.
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Susan said the kick-off event for the lunch program was in June, and two prizes were given away weekly. “I approached businesses and asked for donations, which included movie passes, ice cream certificates, toys, grocery coupons and coolers,” she said.
Stickers were put on the bottom of two trays each day. Susan explained, “If you got a sticker, your name went into the weekly drawing. The last day, we had the grand prize drawing and kids had to be present to win. We gave away a backpack full of school supplies and a 10-inch Tablet that I purchased through a Food Service rewards program.”
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Susan said that because of the success of this summer’s program, she wants to offer it again next summer. She is also considering the possibility of offering a lunch program during extended school holidays.