2. Teaming up for supper
For the third year, Floyd County Schools offered about 600 supper meals each school day through the Child and Adult Care Food Program at community sites outside its schools, including the YMCA and the Boys & Girls Club. “We see some of our students who come through the line at lunch that say, ‘What are we having for supper tonight?’” Child Nutrition Director Donna Carver says.
Carver was thinking about starting such a program when the director of the local Boys & Girls Club reached out to her, prompted by a disheartening interaction. “They did some snacks—granola bars and a juice box—and this kid was sweeping and doing extra chores. He told [the director], ‘I thought maybe if I did some extra work, I could get some extra food. We don’t have anything at home,’” Carver says. The approval process for CACFP can vary by state and Carver has found it to be particularly lengthy in Georgia. “When we are in summer feeding, the approval process for a new site is done fairly quickly. The approval process for a new CACFP site during the regular school year is about six months. That was very hard for me to get used to,” she says.
In some cases, it was also challenging for partnered organizations to provide the required documentation for approval. “One of the groups had to find their original certificate of occupancy for their building that has been there since the early ’40s,” Carver says.