Athens Housing Authority is bringing its Summer Food Service Program to a close on July 14. The Summer Food Service Program provides free lunches to all children and youth in the Athens community ages three to eighteen. Meals for the program are prepared at the Alps Road Elementary School kitchen by cafeteria staff before they are packaged and delivered to various certified sites. Serving sites for the Summer Food Service Program include day camps, recreation centers, and faith communities across Athens-Clarke County. Marilyn Appleby, communications director for AHA, explained that the food program is helpful to children facing food insecurity.
“The Summer Food Service Program is very similar to the free lunch program that takes place in every school around the United States,” Appleby said. “What the summer lunch program does though is make sure that children who may not have access to a balanced lunch have the opportunity for one.”
Appleby explained that because many of the summer camps end in late July and school the program has always concluded near the end of July. This allows for the school cafeterias to prepare for the new school year.
“It generally runs for about seven to eight weeks,” Appleby said. “This year, it ends tomorrow on the 14th, so it’s been running for seven weeks. School starts early in August and the schools need to get things up and running.”
This is the 27th year that the AHA has organized the program for the community. Although the program has historically been thought of as a program for those with socioeconomic needs, Appleby noted that the program is beneficial for the whole Athens community.
“I think this is a very valuable program for the community,” Appleby said. “And I know people might not look at it as...it is just a program for those who...that the families suffer from food insecurity, but it is actually a program for every child in Athens-Clarke County. There are no socioeconomic barriers to this program.