Throughout June, the Greene County School System’s Summer Feeding Program provided free meals to underserved community families.
The seasonal program runs annually after the regular school year ends, and breakfast and lunch are available to children up to 18 years old.
The program is open to the public, and families can pick the meals up Monday through Thursday at Carson Middle School, the Greene County Recreation Department, and Atlas Ministry Inc. Breakfast can be picked up between 8 and 8:30 a.m., and lunch is from 11:30 to noon.
“There’s no income limitation or anything that factors in you being able to grab a meal for your kid,” said Shanita Wright, nutritional director for the Greene County School System. “You can come there with a baby on your hip and say, ‘Hey, I need a meal, and there’s no questions asked on our end.”’ With her position as the director of nutrition, Wright is on a mission to ensure that everyone in need can receive healthy meals.
She even delivered meals for individuals who could not make it to the pickup locations.
“Our district vehicle was tied up, so I loaded meals in my vehicle,” Wright said. “There are no hurdles that we cannot overcome as far as making sure we get the food to the students throughout Greene County.”
According to Wright, the program has faced multiple changes with this year’s pickup process. Before this year, families could pick meals up at more locations in the county, including Lake Oconee Academy and Greene County Primary School.
The two schools formerly served as pickup locations due to holding summer school. Wright believes that the absence of those programs has impacted the number of pickups.
“It has decreased a little bit,” said Wright. “[But] I am reaching out to different people, such as in Greensboro, and they are putting out my menus.”
The county recently changed the menu by providing homemade meals cooked by the cafeteria staff of the schools. This option replaces the “grab-and-go” options from years prior.
“As a parent myself, I can always get my kid a hamburger or hot dog, but it’s more fulfilling to give my kids some chicken alfredo, some baked chicken and mashed potatoes,” said Wright. “Those are a big hit. We had it one week, then we turned around, and I ordered it again because the numbers went through the roof.”
The changes in the Summer Feeding Program’s menu have caused Wright to start working at 6 a.m., and the work has been “a lot, labor-wise” for the staff involved. Regardless, she is considering the long-term effects that will benefit children.
“I want to make it where [the children] are getting more hearty stuff,” she said. “When kids run around, they can just constantly eat because they are burning it off.”
While Atlas Ministry is one of the select locations for meal pickups, the organization also hosts its annual summer camp program.
The ministry has partnered with the summer feeding program for two years. In this alliance, the program provides breakfast and lunch for students participating in summer camp.
As an executive assistant for Atlas, Tianeshia Miller works in the summer camp program. She believes the partnership has been a great addition to the program and has helped the families involved.
“I think [it has helped] for many families that come to our camp,” she said. “Especially a ministry camp at that, and then knowing that, ‘Okay, my kid is being provided with breakfast and lunch.’”
According to Miller, Atlas has partnered with the school system multiple times. She believes they have found more success with this year’s partnership.
With the benefits of the meals provided, Miller found the summer camp improved and helped the ministry’s progress.
“Atlas now has been around for almost 20 years,” she said. “Our continuum started when our current executive director, Ryan Gibaldo, came in and said, ‘Okay, how can we better serve our community right here in Greene County?’”
Overall, Miller believes the ability to run the camp has helped to “bridge the gap” between the community in Greene County.
Students from different schools throughout the county, including local teenagers, have become involved in the summer camp, helping by working with the children.
“We have our Carson Middle School and elementary school right here, but we also have students coming from Lake Oconee Academy as well,” said Miller. “We [the staff] create the camp structure, but our community teenagers are the camp counselors. They are creating and leading the activities for our kids.”