Cache Valley School District offers free lunch

The Cache County School District is offering free lunch to children under 18 years old at participating schools through the Summer Food Service Program.  

Participating schools include Birch Creek Elementary School, Lewiston Elementary School, Lincoln Elementary School, Nibley Elementary School and White Pine Elementary School. Each will be serving free lunch from June 13 to July 15, Monday through Friday.  

One school in particular, Lincoln Elementary, has been a host of the lunch program for 15 years. But according to school principal Audrey McKell, the program has been around even longer than that. 

The Summer Food Service Program was created in 1968 as a part of a pilot program before becoming its own program in 1975. 

Although the lunches are offered in the cafeteria of these schools, McKell explained that as long as the person is younger than 18 years old, they are eligible for the free food, whether or not they are a student.  

The Summer Food Service Program is funded by the Department of Agriculture. According to the department’s website, the program reimburses sponsors who provide healthy meals to those in low-income areas during the summer.  

While the program is funded by the federal government, state agencies manage it. Sponsors are typically non-profit community organizations, like schools, that operate the program and provide food to the community.  

According to the Utah State Board of Education, schools that qualify for the program must have 50% or more of their students on free or reduced lunch plans.  

Once a school qualifies, it retains that status for the next 5 years. 

McKell said these services are very crucial, and not just for children within Cache County School District. Food insecurity is a problem throughout the entire state. 

“Hunger is a real issue facing Utahns and the most vulnerable and at risk are the children, and that is by no fault of their own,” she said. 

Outside of the Summer Food Service Program, Utah State University has a similar goal to help those in need.  

The Student Nutrition Access Center, or SNAC, is a food pantry on campus supported by donations. Food there is available to all students, no questions asked. For more information on SNAC services, visit their website here. 

One USU student who has previously taken advantage of SNAC services, Erin Mortensen, said programs like this are the perfect way to help those in need.  

“It’s a great way to make sure every student is getting the basic needs,” she said. “Especially since you need those basic needs fulfilled so you can be a good student—because if you’re hungry, you’re not going to be able to study and do well in your classes and then it’s just going to distract you from everything else.” 

Helping those in need is the main goal of both SNAC and the Summer Food Service Program. But beyond providing nutritional access, McKell said the Summer Food Service Program also has the potential to offer community connection.  

Having utilized the program before, McKell explained that it’s something she’ll always be grateful for, and she is happy to help extend it to others.  

“It was something I looked forward to,” she said. “Now it’s especially fun to be able to provide that service for this community. When you go up there, you will see parents, you know, chit-chatting, visiting kids, laughing, talking, eating together. It’s a big community meal.” 

More information on the locations and hours of the Summer Lunch Program can be found on the Cache County School District website here. 

-Annie.Lawyer@usu.edu

Featured photo by: Katera Barlow