By Steve Flairty
NKyTribune columnist
Valerie Knight is a big supporter of a government program that she believes is well worth the expenditures. At her position as Director of Food Services for Webster County Schools in western Kentucky, she sees poor children receive a dose of love and kindness outside the scope of the regular school year, during the summer, and it starts with nourishing food from the USDA’s Summer Food Service Program (SFSP).
“I can’t say enough great things about SFSP,” she said. “It is such a great tool to help with food insecurities of our students during the summer.”
Valerie noted that a grandmother who lives in the county near Sebree Elementary School views the program as a lifesaver for her unique circumstances. She keeps 11 grandchildren in the summer because, according to Valerie, “their parents work and they can’t afford to pay for child care. They (the kids) come to breakfast and lunch each day during our program.”
Martin County Schools’ SFSP “Blue Bus” delivers breakfast and lunch (Photo Provided)
Looking at it from a viewpoint of compassion, it would be tough to argue against it.
In the eastern part of the state, Martin County Schools official Marcie Hale noted the “great need in our community,” where all the students are eligible for free lunches from the government, and where people appreciate SFSP.
“Parents are constantly thanking us for the meals,” said Marcie. “We have two buses that act as mobile sites, and they often stop at ‘wide spots’ beside the road where there is a congregation of houses. People who work with them talk constantly about how excited the children are to see them every day.”
Angela Smith said that the workers in the Martin County summer program have “a wonderful and loving heart for the children.”
One of those persons closely involved in the Martin County SFSP is bus driver Sherry Brown. She called working with the 2016 program “the best summer ever. I loved the smiles on those faces,” said Sherry. “They were worth a thousand words. We would pull up to a spot and the kids would come running. You would have thought we were Santa Claus packing a bag full of toys. Instead, we were providing them with nutritional meals. Every day was a new adventure and every stop was exciting.”
Another Martin bus driver, Tammy Jarrell, echoed those sentiments when she talked about two children who had recently moved to a rural place on her route.
“They thought we were there to take them to summer school,” she said. “They wouldn’t come out until we told them what we were doing. They couldn’t believe we were bringing them lunch. Every day from that day on they were out watching and waiting. They said it was like waiting for an ice cream truck.”
Another worker, Marsha Jude, called the experience working in the program a “joy” and enjoys watching “little faces light up.”
Cathy Gallagher, a supervisor at the School and Community Nutrition division at the Kentucky Department of Education, explained details of the federally-funded, state-administered outreach.
“Sponsors are the people on the local level who do all the paperwork to claim (reimbursement for) the meals,” she explained. “We have schools, residential camps, private non-profit organizations which vary from churches, food banks, and community-action groups. The meal locations could be at a church, school, park, a cul-de-sac, housing complex, or library. Some sponsors have outfitted old buses (mentioned previously) they drive around the neighborhood, (or) ‘mobile sites.’”
The program serves young people 18 and younger, and there’s a standard reimbursement rate for breakfasts, lunches, and snacks. According to Cathy, sponsors are able to find suppliers for food from a variety of sources through a procurement process.
“We actually encourage our sponsors to buy locally,” she continued.
That fact partly demonstrates how the program can be beneficial to local economies, as well as serving to improve the overall quality of life, a true win-win situation.
A colleague of Cathy’s, Mandi Seals, has gained a wide perspective on the needs and benefits of SFSP. While a public school teacher for over a decade, she saw students struggling with a lack of balanced, nutritious meals—a definite distraction from optimal academic performance. Now, working as a consultant at the Division of School and Community Nutrition, she regularly interacts with those who see the real needs of children without an adequate diet.
She also shared something she learned from her husband about the power of the summer program.
“A person he met through his work told him that he would not have survived his childhood if it had not been for the summer meals program,” said Mandi.
She referred to a new version of the NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND slogan used to describe a federal education initiative, stating that the SFSP goal is to leave “no child hungry.”
According to Mike Sullivan, another state official involved in administering the program, there were over 2,200 sites in Kentucky in 2016, with an average of about 41,000 meals served per day. Just shy of 3 million meals were served in total.
For families in need, one may call 866-348-6479 to find out where food sites are available. He emphasized that the program works hard to present itself as positive and not condescending in approach to people’s needs.
Those in the Frankfort office are anxious to see more sponsors administer SFSP all around Kentucky; the need is significant and funding is available. Marcie Hale, Martin County, called the staff there “wonderful, very helpful and accommodating.” While meeting with them recently, I received a strong impression of the same.
For more information about SFSP, phone 502-564-5625 in Frankfort or visit the web site.
Steve Flairty is a teacher, public speaker and an author of six books: a biography of former Kentucky Afield host Tim Farmer and five in the Kentucky’s Everyday Heroes series, including a kids’ version. Steve’s “Kentucky’s Everyday Heroes #4,” was released in 2015. Steve is a senior correspondent for Kentucky Monthly, a weekly NKyTribune columnist and a member of the Kentucky Humanities Council Speakers Bureau. Contact him at sflairty2001@yahoo.com or visit his Facebook page, “Kentucky in Common: Word Sketches in Tribute.” (Steve’s photo by Connie McDonald)
