Great Bend USD 428’s Food Service department is ready to serve free meals to community children again this summer.
Each weekday, Monday through Friday, Food Service will provide meals for all children 18 years of age and younger in the gyms at participating elementary school locations from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Children will be provided with a to-go lunch and a breakfast pack for the next morning.
From May 28 through June 28, meals will be available at all five USD 428 elementary schools. July 1-19, meals will be available at Eisenhower, Jefferson and Riley schools. The schools will be closed July 4-5 and no meals will be served those days.
Permits required
New in 2024, permits will be issued to all program participants. Parents or guardians will bring all children with them for their first pick-up at their preferred school location. For the remainder of the summer meal program, this allows parents/guardians permission to pick up meals without the children present. Parents/guardians must have this permit with them every day to pick up the meals, with no exceptions.
• Once issued, families cannot change pick-up sites. Beginning July 1, permits at Park and Lincoln can be reissued for one of the other locations.
• Due to a change in the federal guidelines, Daycares can no longer pick up meals on behalf of the parents. They must bring in their daycare children daily and either grab-and-go or eat on-site.
Early permits issuance next week
To expedite the process of picking up meals, Food Service invites families to stop by the Central Kitchen, 625 East 10th St., May 21-23, to pick up their permit before summer meals begin. The Central Kitchen, located on the west side of the Support Services Building, will be open from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. All children must be present at the time the permit is issued.
Kristy Alvord, Food Service director, stressed that these meals are free to all children with no income requirements. “We highly encourage all our families to take advantage of these convenient and nutritious meals. We hope you’ll eat with us!”
This is a federally funded program through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Services. Great Bend USD 428 institution is an equal-opportunity employer.
