After serving 16,084 meals in its first year and 22,206 meals a year ago, or 441 per day, Hillsboro City Schools Food Director Jessica Walker is hoping to serve even more this year during the third year for the school district’s Summer Food Service Program.
“We’d like to do an average of 550 a day,” Walker said Friday at the old Hillsboro High School site off West Main Street where the program held a kick off event for the 2019 season from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The program will serve breakfast at two locations daily this year; lunch at 10 locations daily; another new location at the entrance to the Highland County Fairgrounds on John Street on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday; another location on Wednesdays only; and a couple other sites on special occasions.
Walker said she dropped a location at the Greater Life Assembly off North Shore Drive because there was low attendance, and sometimes no attendance at all, and added the John Street stop and a daily stop at Liberty Park. She said the breakfast time at Hillsboro has been extended, and that in addition to the HCS Tomahawk truck, the program will be using a service van this year.
Generally, the meals are served to all children 18 and under regardless of what school they attend. There are also instances where those with a disability can be served up to age 24. The only requirements are that the meals be consumed on-site, and no take home meals will be provided due to government regulations.
But on Friday, adults were also able to eat, and Walker was hoping for a turnout of 1,000 people. She said the program received nearly $1,100 in community donations to allow adults to eat at Friday’s kick off, and that any of the money that’s left over will be used to buy school supplies that will be passed later in the summer from the food truck.
Hillsboro Superintendent Tim Davis was on hand for Friday’s event. He commended Walker and her staff for doing “an outstanding job with the program,” and said it is not only great for the school and students, but for the entire community.
Through grants and other programs Walker has organized, most all the food the school gives away is funded through outside sources.
This year’s program starts Tuesday, May 28 and runs Monday through Friday until Aug. 9. The program will not run July 1-5 and Aug. 6.
Following is a list of this year’s stops, locations and times:
Breakfast
High school, 550 U.S. Route 62 — 9 to 10 a.m.
Highland County YMCA, 201 Diamond Dr. — 8:30 to 9:30 a.m.
Lunch
High school, 550 U.S. Route 62 — 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Central office, 39 Willetsville Pike — 10:30 to 11:15 a.m.
Highland Terrace, 737 N. West St. — 11 to 11:20 a.m.
Highland Heights, 271 Harry Sauner Rd. — 11:30 to 11:45 a.m.
Cedar Wood, 312 Cedar Woods Dr. — 11:50 a.m. to 12:10 p.m.
Peace Lutheran Church, 231 Harry Sauner Rd. — 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. (Wednesday only).
YMCA building, 201 Diamond Dr. — 12:30 to 1 p.m.
Liberty Park, picnic shelter at 201 Diamond Dr. — 12:15 to 12:45 p.m.
Paint Creek Fire Station, 204 N. East St. — 1 to 1:45 p.m.
Fairgrounds at John St. entrance, 604 John St. — 2 to 2:30 p.m. (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday only).
Rocky Fork Lake North Beach, 9800 N. Beach Rd. — 2 to 2:45 p.m.
Lunch will also be served June 4-8 at the Hillsboro Church of Christ, 155 W. Walnut St., from 11 a.m. to noon; and at the Boy Scouts/Dovetail, Rocky Fork Campgrounds, July 24-27 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
“Just come on out and eat lunch,” Walker said. “We have some new Tomahawk staff members, all Hillsboro City Schools employees, and some of them are teachers. It will let the kids see their teachers in a different setting and it will be fun to see their reaction.”
Reach Jeff Gilliland at 937-402-2522.
