The Lunch and Literacy program sponsored by the Carter County School System kicks off this week.

This year, the school system is taking part in a program through the U.S. Department of Agriculture to expand the school nutritional program into the summer months.

The Lunch and Literacy Program will be held during the month of June and is a collaboration between two different departments within the school system — the Nutrition Department and Curriculum Department.

As part of the program, the school system will provide hot lunch meals to children under the age of 18 free of charge Monday through Thursday of the four-week long program. All meals must be eaten on site to ensure proper food safety, and that the meal is consumed by the child or teen. Adults accompanying a child can also get a meal for the price of $3.25 through the program.

Each week the program will move to a different site in the community. This week, meals will be served at Cloudland Elementary from 11:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. Families can go to any site during the program regardless of where they live.

In addition to the meals, the children will also receive a free book as long as the book supply lasts. The school system is still accepting donations of new or gently used books at the central office located at 305 Academy Street, Elizabethton.

For more information on the Lunch and Literacy program, call 423-547-2917.Children ageChild