Children at 83 public schools will receive meals free of charge over the summer through the Seamless Summer Option program, the Hawaii State Department of Education announced recently.
Children age 18 and younger will be served the meals regardless of public school enrollment status on Monday through Friday, excluding July 4 (Independence Day). The initiative is meant to ensure children receive balanced nutrition during the summer.
“Good nutrition is vital to the health and development of our growing keiki and summer food service programs help to ensure that meals are available for all school-aged children during the summer break," Superintendent Keith Hayashi said in a release from the state Department of Education. "We encourage our parents to make these meals part of your child's summer schedules to give them balanced and nutritious options. We thank our devoted cafeteria staff and administrators and our federal partners for making this program possible each year."
Schools eligible for the SSO program, funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, must have 50% or more of its regularly enrolled students qualified for free or reduced-price lunches and some type of summer program on campus. Schools can opt to serve breakfast only, lunch only or both meals.
The release added that summer meals will no longer be offered in "Grab & Go" containers and will return to on-campus dining only. Meal recipients do not have to be enrolled at a participating school to be served, and meals will consist of solid foods.