Funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Summer Food Service Program(SFSP) and CDC covers the costs of the Lunch Time program.
Except as noted below, lunches will be available from noon to 2 p.m. every weekday from Tuesday, May 31, to Friday, Aug. 19 at the following locations:
Cooperstown – Community Church of God (11 a.m. to 1 p.m.)
Franklin – 11th Street Playground, Atlantic Avenue Playground, Central Elementary School, Evergreen Arbors, Oak Hill Apartments, Orchard Park (Bredinsburg Road, 12:30 to 2 p.m.).
Oil City – Free Methodist Church of Oil City (both the Wilson Avenue and Willow Street locations, 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.), Hasson Park, Innis Street Playground, Land of Laughter Playground (Harriott Avenue), Second Presbyterian Church, Seventh Street Elementary School.
Polk – Polk United Methodist Church.
Reno – Reno United Methodist Church.
Rocky Grove – Front Street Playground.
Seneca – Pinoak Village (noon to 1:30 p.m).
Lunch Time will offer a two-week menu that will be used throughout the summer. The menu will be as follows:
Week 1 – Monday, chicken nuggets; Tuesday, hamburgers; Wednesday, hot dogs; Thursday, ham and cheese sandwich; Friday, sloppy joes.
Week 2 – Monday, turkey meatballs; Tuesday, French toast sticks; Wednesday, hamburgers; Thursday, chicken patties; Friday, mini-hoagies.
Each meal includes fruit, a vegetable and milk. Cheese sandwiches and Nutella and jelly sandwiches will be available each day for children who prefer an option other than the scheduled entre.
Lunch Time is intended to make a nutritious midday meal available to students when school is not in session, to help families whose children lose their school-based free and reduced-price breakfast and lunch benefits during summer, and to extend nutrition to children who aren’t yet old enough to attend school, CDC chief executive officer Rina Irwin said.
The summer program has no income guidelines, so any family with children up to age 18 is welcome to participate, including those who have infants, toddlers and preschoolers.
Families do not have to register to obtain meals. Children may report to any Lunch Time site on any day they wish to eat a free lunch. Adults will be charged $3 per meal.
Families can learn more by contacting Lunch Time director Holland Culver at CDC at (814) 437-7288 or visiting CDC’s Lunch Time website at www.myfreelunchtime.com.
CDC served about 21,900 lunches last year (350 per day), up 65 percent from 2014, and “we hope to increase participation in our nutrition outreach again this year,” Irwin said.
In preparation for this year’s lunch program, CDC has obtained donations from several individuals and organizations in Franklin, and is using these funds to help cover the costs of building permanent lunch shelters at the 11th Street and Atlantic Avenue playgrounds.
CDC also is seeking funds for shelters at some of its outdoor lunch sites in Oil City.
