The free summer meals, which can be picked up Tuesdays and Thursdays, are for all children 18 and under.
By Gary Weckselblatt
For the first time, the Quakertown Community School District has instituted a free Summer Meal service for
all children 18 and under.
The service is scheduled to run from June 23rd through August 20th.
“The Administration and School Board understand the challenging times many of our families are going through,” said Zach Schoch, QCSD’s Chief Operating Officer. “We urge families to take advantage of this opportunity.”
Just like the district’s current meals program during the closure of buildings due to the COVID-19 pandemic, food pickup will be held at Quakertown Community High School’s Bus Drop-off Location. Food will be provided each Tuesday and Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
On Tuesdays, each student will be provided with breakfast and lunch for two days. On Thursdays, each student will receive breakfast and lunch for three days.
Depending on the day, breakfast items may include assorted cereals, apple frudel, mini pancakes with syrup, whole grain bagel with cream cheese, and French toast with syrup. Each meal comes with a 100 percent fruit juice box.
Lunch items may include chicken tenders, turkey and cheese sandwich, chicken sandwich, ham and cheese hoagie and pizza boli. Each meal comes with an assorted fruit cup and whole fresh fruit. Some meals may need to be reheated. They will come with “Preparing Your Meal” handout instructions.
St. Luke’s University Health Network will be supporting the district’s efforts, providing Community Supported Agriculture on Thursdays along with backpacks that contain non-perishable items for weekend meals and snacks. Penn Community Bank is helping to support the program.
Quakertown Borough’s Park and Recreation’s Camp in a Bag program will also be part of the Summer Food Service. They will include Healthy Kids, Bright Futures Educational Programing with take-home activities such as videos, online resources, “Get your Tail on the Trail” School Programing, gardening instruction with seed packets, dental day with handouts and coloring books.
Pete Kelley of Chartwells, the district’s food service provider, said approximately 2,000 meals have been served each week to QCSD students during the building shutdown. He said those numbers have dropped in the last two weeks. “Our families know we’re here,” he said. “We have fulfilled a need and we’re glad to continue that effort this summer.”
Gary Weckselblatt, QCSD Director of Communications, writes about the people and the programs that impact the Quakertown Community School District. He can be reached at [email protected].