As Junilla Akeang tucked into his corndog, the light that danced in his 4-year-old eyes said all the little boy was too shy and his teeth too busy to say —yum!
Junilla and his mother, Aina, were among those who lined up at Veterans Memorial Park Monday to take advantage of opening day of the 2011 Auburn School District’s Summer lunch program.
“I really like it,”said Aina Akeang.
With variations, that same scene played out Monday at 39 other sites, including parks, schools, apartments, churches and community centers throughout the district. All of them will provide nutritious hot and cold meals Monday through Friday, June to August, free to all children ages 1 through 18 without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability.
The United States Department of Agriculture provides more than 2,000 meals a day at no charge to children in partnership with the Auburn School District and with community organizations in Algona, Auburn and Pacific. Registration is not required. All people need to do is stop by a site at the time listed for a nutritious meal with fresh fruits and vegetables, non-fat milk and a variety of hot and cold entrees.
“We have a number different items that we offer, including deli sandwiches, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and yogurt,” said Carole Barker, assistant supervisor of child nutrition for the Auburn School District.
Added Barker, “There’s a great need for programs like this, especially in the summertime. Fifty-three percent of our school district is free and reduced, and in south King County, it’s more like 82 percent.”
Margaret Dam, director of child nutritional services for the Auburn School District, 53 percent is the highest free-reduced lunch rate the district has ever had.
“The district started the year off at 48-percent, and it grew over the year,” said Dam.”Nine of our schools are in the severe-need category. We’re feeding lunch in about 40 sites this year. Kids can’t begin the school year without some kind of support. Feeding them helps kids learn better.”
The school district administers the federal funds that the state doles out, hires the personnel and prepares the food. The best, and sometimes only, meals many children eat all day during the school year are provided by their school’s federally-funded meals program.
Vendors, farmer’s markets, and farms from Oakville to Fall City to Yakima provide the food.
The summer feeding program started at the Family of Grace Church on Lea Hill when church members noticed an increase in poverty after the construction of the Cedar Ridge Apartments. Then-Deputy Superintendent Kip Herren saw the church had a good idea, and the district decided to follow suit. The program started in 2005.
