A federally subsidized program to provide free lunch to children is now underway in Northeast Tennessee.
Second Harvest Food Bank is the regional sponsor for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), which began serving meals this week. On the state level, the SFSP is administered by the Tennessee Department of Human Services.
“All children are eligible, there are no income guidelines,” said Kathy Smith, community relations director for Second Harvest.
The lunch meals provided to children through the program meet a strict set of nutritional standards set by the USDA, Smith said.
“It is a USDA approved lunch,” Smith said, adding the standards dictate things such as how much protein and other nutrients each meal must include. “USDA reimburses providers for the lunches we serve as long as the nutrition meets their standards.”
“The food for the summer program is specially ordered and prepared. We don’t pull it out of our regular inventory from the food bank” she added. “There is an approved menu we follow.”
Meals are delivered throughout the Northeast Tennessee community by Second Harvest’s Lunch Express — a fleet of buses staffed by volunteers.
“We have workers on the bus who have been background screened,” Smith said. “The workers are through AmeriCorps.”
While families do not have to pre-register or meet any income or eligibility guidelines, Smith said there is one requirement in order to receive the meal.
“The children have to eat on the bus,” Smith said.
Smith said there are a few other organizations in Northeast Tennessee that also provide Summer Food Service Program sites not included in the Second Harvest listing. For a full listing visit www.fns.usda.gov/summerfoodrocks or call 1-866-3-HUNGRY
Delivery locations, dates and times for Elizabethton and Carter County sites are:
• Cloverbrook Estates —2484 Siam Road — May 31 through July 28 from 12:20-12:40 p.m.
• Stoney Creek Mobile Home Park — 194 Old Stoney Creek Road —May 31 through July 28 from 10:40-11 a.m.
• Old Watauga Mobile Home Park — 186 Old Watauga Road — May 31 through July 28 from 11:45 a.m. until 12:05 p.m.
• Monta Clark Mobile Home Park —2122 Monta Clark St. — May 31 through July 28 from 2:55-3:15 p.m.
• Dan Bowers Mobile Home Park — 132 Dan Bowers Road — May 31 through July 28 from 10:10-10:30 a.m.
• West Side Elementary School — 1310 Burgie St. — May 31 through June 30, no time given.
• Carter County Library — 201 N. Sycamore St. — June 1 through July 30 from 11:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.
• Harold McCormick ESP —226 S. Cedar Ave. — June 17 through July 22, no time given.
• Happy Valley Elementary School — 1840 Milligan Highway, Johnson City — June 2 through July 22 from 11 a.m. until Noon.
• Sunflower Lane Mobile Home Park —1800 Shane Lane, Watauga — May 31 through July 28 from 11:15-11:35 a.m.