FAYETTEVILLE, Ark — Summer is officially here for kids across the country and while it’s exciting for kids, it may be stressful for parents dealing with inflation on groceries.
5NEWS spoke with a few schools in the area that have meal programs this summer that offer at least one meal a day for all kids ages 18 and younger.
With things looking more normal than in the last two years, there are some COVID funding bills that are changing the ways things are done.
The quantity and quality of food will still be the same, but the distribution is different. There will no longer be to-go meals and meals must be eaten at the sites where food is provided.
The Springdale School District program starts on June 2. They will be set up at multiple locations and have meals on-site Monday through Thursday where they will serve a cold breakfast and hot lunch.
Click here for more information on the Springdale School District meal program.
Fayetteville School District's program starts next week, June 6.
Lunch will be provided at Ramay Jr. High and they will also have a food truck outside of the Fayetteville Public Library where kids can grab lunch. They will also set up shop at some summer camps like the Boys and Girls Club.
Click here for more information on the Fayetteville School District meal program.
Fort Smith Schools start their program on June 1. They will offer breakfast and lunch at multiple locations throughout the district.
For the last two years, people could pick up meals to go. This year things are back to normal and people will be required to come and eat in the cafeterias Monday through Fridays.
Click here for more information on the Fort Smith School District meal program.
"We don’t know what to expect, our numbers have really been high the last two summers and I’m wondering how all these changes will affect the numbers but we can still expect to feed several thousand meals each day," said Leigh Christian, director of child nutrition for Fort Smith Schools.
Parents can also eat for around $4 a meal.
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