Getting your Trinity Audio player ready…
The hardworking school district nutrition services staff fed over 1,000 kids on a recent weekday as part of summer meals offered in the city during the warmer months
It’s all part of the USDA Summer Food Service Program, a federally funded program established in 1975 to address food insecurity in low-income areas that is similar to the National School Lunch Program offered in schools
“This program has been a staple in Fitchburg since the early 2000s and ensures children and teens 18 and under have easy access to no cost meals when school is not in session,” Fitchburg Public Schools (FPS) Nutrition Services General Manager David Semenza shared last year
FPS Nutrition Services Operations Manager Nancy Crowley oversees the day-to-day operations of the summer meals program, which she said is in “full swing” and runs through Aug. 14
“I think this could be our busiest summer yet,” she reported. “My staff is working hard in the kitchen producing, packing, and bringing meals out to the parks and local camps.”
There are six locations in the city including two new sites where meals can be received Monday through Friday, except when there is inclement weather:
• Babe DiConza Memorial Park, Salem and Beekman streets, lunch noon to 12:30 p.m.;
• Coolidge Park, 198 Townsend St., breakfast 9 to 9:45 a.m. and lunch 11:15 a.m. to noon;
• Green Street Playground, 55 North St., lunch 11:15 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.;
• Gustave Johnson State Pool, 90 Wanoosnoc Rd., lunch 12:45 p.m. to 1:15 p.m.;
• Park Hill Playground, 225 Pratt Rd., breakfast 9 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. and lunch 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.;
• and Reingold Park, 70 Reingold Ave., lunch 11:50 a.m. to 12:20 p.m
Anyone 18 or under is eligible, regardless of the city or town of residence or school they go to. There is no sign up or registration needed, simply go to one of the listed sites during the meal serving time and look for people in Summer Eats t-shirts and the Summer Eats or FPS vans
“Any children can come to one of our open sites and get breakfast or lunch, no questions asked,” Crowley said. “The only requirement is that the child needs to be present and the meal must be eaten at the site.”
FPS Nutrition Services General Manager David Semenza reported that they serve approximately 30,000 meals to kids who live in and around the city each summer
“For more than 25 years, Fitchburg has proudly participated in the USDA Summer Food Service Program, ensuring children and teens have access to free, nutritious meals while school is out,” he said. “We are honored to continue this tradition of serving our community.”
