The Sunnyvale School District, along with other organizations in Sunnyvale, are assuring that students who are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch during the school year will not go without food in the summer months when school is not in session.
The Seamless Summer Feeding Program is open to children ages 1-18 Monday through Friday from June 15 to Aug. 7.
Children need not attend summer school to receive meals. In fact, children do not even need to be local to receive free breakfast and lunch five days a week.
No identification is required and no enrollment is necessary, as the program operates on a drop-in basis.
Gail Burke, child nutrition consultant for the Sunnyvale School District, said that adults are exempt from the government-funded program.
“For ages 1-18 there is no charge, no ID, nothing,” she said. “You don’t even have to live in the state of California. Even if you happen to be visiting, you’re more than welcome.”
It is estimated that 41 percent of students in Sunnyvale are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. Most notable are the schools where the programs will be held.
At San Miguel Elementary School, 74 percent of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch; at Bishop Elementary, 73 percent; and at Columbia Middle School, 64 percent.
Burke said that the vast majority of children enrolled in summer school participate in the Summer Feeding Program but that community turnout is most notable at Columbia Middle School, where as many as 150 children have availed themselves of the program.
Breakfast options include a variety of nourishment including a hot entree option, bagels, muffins, cereal, fruit, milk and juice.
Lunch in summer is cut from four options to two, but one choice is always vegetarian. A salad bar is also available for lunch.
Burke said the program is the only option for some students.
“Kids are hungry; they need to eat,” she said. “It’s been shown that there is a lack of food available to families during the off-school days that require some assistance. We’re happy to do it, and it’s a win-win situation for everybody.”
The Seamless Summer Feeding Program is offered at Bishop and San Miguel elementary schools from June 15 to July 24 and at Columbia Middle School from June 15 to Aug. 7.
Breakfast is from 8 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. and lunch is from 10:45 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Sunnyvale Community Services also offers extra food to families with students during summer because the children will be home and in need of additional meals that normally would be provided during the school day.
According to executive director Marie Bernard, SCC gives out an additional 2,500 bags of “kid-friendly” food during the summer months.
In addition to this initiative, SCC, the Sunnyvale School District and Sunnyvale Rotary are teaming up for the third annual “Our Kids Our Community” event to help end childhood hunger in Sunnyvale.
The event will take place at the LinkedIn building at 580 N Maude Ave. on June 9 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The event is free, but donations are encouraged.
“It takes a village to feed a child,” Burke said.
For more information or to volunteer, visit sesd.org.
