MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Ky. (LEX NEWS) — Every Wednesday in June and July, vehicles line up bumper-to-bumper outside of McNabb Middle School in Montgomery County — sometimes more than an hour before the first bag is handed out.
The draw? A week's worth of free meals for children, distributed through the district's summer meal program from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m.
"Last week, 1,785 children received meal kits and we expect that number to go up this week," Montgomery County Schools Child Nutrition Director Sandy Jones said.
The program is partially reimbursed by the Department of Education and is open to every child 18 or younger — regardless of household income or county of residence. Even teachers with children at home join the line.
"I think it's extremely important, especially right now with the cost of groceries rising, the cost of gas and really the cost of everything. It's not a program that's income based at all. It's for every child," Jones said.
Teacher and mom Maci Vanderpool is one of those regulars.
"My kids get so excited for it. They love getting the little snacks. There's cereal the kids can grab on the go, fruits that the kids love in the summer, and full meals when we're busy. We'll say, 'Let's do a summer snack' - that's what we call them at our home," Vanderpool said.
Each child receives a gallon of milk, fresh produce, food for seven breakfasts and seven lunches, and beef sourced from nearby farms and processed in Mt. Sterling. The locally sourced meat is a point of pride for the program.
"It's wonderful! On average, I think our food travels about 1,500 miles to get to our plate, you know, when it's local it may travel four miles to our plate, so you can imagine what a fresh, local product tastes like. It's second to none," said Tina Garland, Department of Agriculture Administrative Branch Manager.
Each kit also includes easy-to-follow instructions to make mealtime simple at home.
A pit crew of cafeteria staff loads cars and sends families on their way — week after week.
"As you can see, they're all pretty excited to be here. Wednesdays are their favorite days," Jones said.
Families can pick up meals each Wednesday in June and July from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. at McNabb Middle School.
