MADISON COUNTY, ALABAMA, Ala. — Madison County Schools is working to make sure that kids don't go hungry this summer.
The district will provide breakfast and lunch this summer to students in need. Starting on June 2, breakfast and lunch will be served daily to students attending in-school camps. Lunch will also be served curbside during the listed lunch times. Curbside pick up will include lunch and breakfast for the following day.
The Madison County School System will provide these meals at nearly two dozen locations around the county with help from the USDA and its Summer Food Service Program. Parents and caregivers who need more information are welcome to visit mcssk12.org or they can contact their local school regarding dates and times. MCSS says that the Program was created to ensure that children receive nutritious meals during summer vacation when they do not have access to school breakfast and lunch.
BELOW: Schedule and locations for summer meal program
Huntsville, Madison City, and Madison County Schools provide meals for students during the summer.
The financial impact from the COVID-19 pandemic continues to linger for many families in North Alabama.
Because more people than ever are facing food insecurity, schools in the Huntsville-Madison County area are stepping up to make sure no student goes hungry even after school lets out.
Huntsville City Schools Child Nutrition Program Director Henry Ward said, "The summer program is so important and so valuable and so very needed within those communities where those particular young people would not get an opportunity to eat otherwise."
Throughout the 2020-2021 school year, public school systems in North Alabama have been able to provide free meals to every student in their districts whether they qualify for free lunch or not.
Madison County Schools Director of Equity and Innovation Dr. Rachel Ballard said, "The pandemic revealed that food insecurity exists in our community, and some families may have experienced job loss or maybe they became sick and they were hourly workers and they weren't able to work, that impacted their family budget and because their school is able to provide free breakfast and lunch, that definitely helped families."
Madison City Schools Child Nutrition Program Coordinator Marty Tatara says more students in the Madison City School System are eating school meals because of the free option.
"We always ran about 50% participation during lunch and now it's at 65%," said Tatara. "Since the meals have been offered at no charge, we've seen a significant improvement as far as just the number of children getting meals."
Federal funding is allowing schools in North Alabama to provide these free meals throughout the summer and extend their reach to families who have never had the opportunity to participate in summer feeding programs.
"Madison City doesn't have enough children on free and reduced lunch to qualify for summer feeding," said Tatara. "You have to have about 50% of your student population on free or reduced lunch, so although it's something we've really wanted to do every single year for twenty plus years we've been a school system, we've never qualified and been able to do it, so now with the waivers offered, we're going to be able to feed our students who are in learning programs this summer, so we're really excited about that."
All three school systems in the Huntsville-Madison County area are providing free breakfasts and lunches at both school-based summer learning programs and pick-up programs each week this summer.
Huntsville City Schools is also offering meals through mobile delivery sites. They say this allows them to provide more meals throughout the city.
"Those meals are prepared at a specific school site, loaded into the van, kept warm, kept cold, and delivered to different locations," said Ward.
These school systems say the free meals this summer are for any student who wants to participate.
"Maybe you're not necessarily feeling that you have a food insecurity. Everyone across our district is welcome to join us to receive a lunch and breakfast. It's not just for those who have identified as being free and reduced lunch services. It's for every single student in the Madison County School System," said Dr. Ballard.