No child should have to go hungry, and a program in Umatilla ensures children there are well fed.
Through the school district’s summer feeding program, children ages 1 to 18 can eat breakfast, lunch and dinner for free each weekday.
The meals are funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Summer Food Service Program and are growing in popularity.
“It’s been a great year for all of the summer feeding programs,” Superintendent Heidi Sipe said. “One of the things we find is that it continues to grow. As word spreads, more and more people attend.”
Sipe said an average of 185 people eat breakfast, 250 eat lunch and 30 eat dinner at the various sites. Adults can also partake in the meals for $1 for breakfast and $2 for lunch or dinner, she said.
“For the adults, that fee simply recoups our cost, so that we’re not misusing the funds,” she said. “We have to make sure that we’re only feeding children for free, so we are very careful about that. It’s still a great way for families to get out, go for a walk, do an activity.”