A little girl no older than 5 years old walks into Ron Russell Middle School, clutching her mother’s hand. As they enter the cafeteria in the southeast Portland school a little before noon, the mother spots her son and ushers her young daughter in his direction.
“Go get in line, hold your brother’s hand,” she says, motioning her to stand in a line of children ranging in age from toddlers to age 18. The girl hurries to her brother, only a few years older than her, and takes his hand. By then, the line stretches out the door from the section of the cafeteria where the food is being served. When she finally goes in to get her tray, the girl can barely see over the countertop. Her brother helps her take her tray and they go to sit with their mom to enjoy their lunch.
That may be the only meal they have for the day.
Every summer, many Schools Uniting Neighborhoods (SUN) community schools in Multnomah County host a free weekday lunch for children at more than 60 summer sites. SUN combines county, city, state and and local non-profit efforts to provide services for students and their families, including meals. In 2013, Multnomah County helped serve meals to 7,946 children a day--about one in 19. For some families, the lunch is a way to stay connected to their neighborhood. For others, the lunches play a crucial role in keeping their children healthy and fed.
“We provide them with a meal everyday during SUN,” says Amanda Wolff, the SUN site manager for Floyd Light Middle School, which like Ron Russell is in the David Douglas School District. “Maybe they go home and eat again, maybe they don’t. That’s a big part of the program.”
Funding for meals comes through the United States Department of Agriculture’s Summer Food Service Program. Launched by Congress in 1968 to ensure low-income children get nutritious meals when school is not in session, the effort has reached more than 2.28 million children since 1968 at nearly 39,000 sites nationwide.
The sites are determined by the percentage of enrolled students in the area who rely on the free/reduced price lunch program during the school year. At least 50 percent of the students must rely on the reduced price lunch program in order for it to qualify as a site in need.
The meals are an important part of the SUN Community School summer programs in Multnomah County, which also also offer fun educational, recreational, and enrichment activities.
SUN site manager Peg Zander works at Sitton Elementary School in North Portland. She says that more than 85 percent of the children in her school rely on free/reduced price lunch during the school year. During the school year, about 40 elementary students also rely on the BackPack program where the school and the program supply the students with food to eat while they are home over the weekend.
“We have a lot of families that are needing help,” Zander says.
After spending a recent July morning finger-knitting and riding bikes at the SUN Summer Camp at Sitton, the children eagerly take their seats.
“It’s a yogurt day!” One boy exclaims. He pops open his box to reveal a small package of Graham crackers, a peanut butter sandwich, a plum, a cheese stick, and lo and behold, a cup of strawberry yogurt.
Not every lunch box is the same, but the meals adhere to the USDA standard of nutrition. Every meal comes with a serving of fruit or vegetables, grains, meat/meat alternate, and milk. Adults can enjoy a meal for $4, as well.
Zander said all 11 of the SUN sites entered partnerships with Portland Parks & Recreation to offer the free summer lunch program this summer.
“Anybody that comes in, not only just our [SUN] kids...if they come during the time we’re serving, they can have a lunch,” she explains.
Madieline Hernandez, the SUN site manager for Ron Russell Middle School, advocates for the summer lunches and their connection to the SUN program.
“A lot of these kids don’t have opportunities during the summer, and I think the most rewarding thing is to see them be in an environment where they’re having fun and they have an opportunity to try new things,” she says. “They get a free meal, the whole camp is free. It’s just awesome.”
For Sitton Elementary, a school where Portland Parks & Recreation operates the SUN program and where the student body continues to increase, the percentage of children requiring free/reduced price lunch is expected to increase, as well. Other schools are no different. SUN site managers do what they can to ensure the children they see at their sites during the summer are also taken care of during the school year.
Many of these kids rely on getting three meals a day at their SUN Community School. Most of the schools offer free or reduced price breakfasts before the first class of the day. After schools, they look to SUN for what might be their last meal of the day. Wolff calls it “linner”, a combination of lunch and dinner, because it is typically served at 3 p.m.
“We know if some of that is taken care of, then kids can be more successful in school,” Wolff says. “Even if it’s just on the simple level of feeding them.”
Peggy Samolinski, division director for the SUN Service System, says the meals make a huge difference for the children. “Nutritious meals support a students’ ability to concentrate on lessons and activities, to learn new information, and to grow into healthy adults. SUN Community Schools help bring this to children.”
Facts from the Summer Lunches Program (2013):
Meals Served in Multnomah County: 355,546
Average Daily Participation in Multnomah County: 7,946
Number of Program Sponsors in Multnomah County: 14
Highest Percentage of Students Eligible for the Meal Programs at One School (Multnomah County only): 95.2 percent (at Rosa Parks Elementary School)
Highest Percentage of Students Eligible for the Meal Programs at One School (Statewide): 100 percent (Imnaha Elementary, Wallowa County)
ALL of Crook County and Curry County schools in Oregon qualify for the Free Summer Lunch program