Fulton public schools and the YMCA will be continuing their tradition of feeding hungry kids this summer.
"I have been here 11 years," said Rhonda Fletcher, Fulton Public Schools director of Food Service. "They have been doing this program long before I came on board."
Fletcher said the summer food program will be offered at locations around the city.
"We will have three sites offering meals," she said. "Those sites are Bush Elementary, the high school and the YMCA of Callaway County."
From June 5th through 30th, Bush Elementary and FHS will be offering breakfast 7:30-8:30 a.m. and lunch 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Fletcher said. She added that July 5th through 28th, the YMCA will be offering lunch at that same time Monday, Wednesday and Friday. After the FPS program ends on June 30, the YMCA will switch to offering lunch during weekdays for the month of July.
Those free meals, Fletcher said, are available to all kids 18 and younger as part of a U.S. Department of Agriculture program.
"It is definitely open to anyone," she said. "There is no sign up and it's free; just walk on in."
Fletcher said the summer meal program helps to feed kids who might otherwise not get a good meal when school is not in session.
"It definitely helps people who might need the meal - students who might be (nutritionally) challenged," she said. "I do worry about those kids during breaks."
Participation during the summer meal program has been increasing, Fletcher said.
"We have several participants that come in from the community," she said. "We have seen more coming in from the community in recent years. I think it helps that the sight is so close to the pool; parents bring their kids over to go swimming and have a meal."
With Fulton schools coming back into session on August 16, Fletcher said that there will only be a two-week gap between the end of the meals and school starting back up.
"I would love to have more kids come on out and join us," she said. "That's what we are here for."