SNOHOMISH COUNTY — Free summer meals for anyone age 18 and younger will soon be offered Monday through Friday at sites within the Snohomish, Monroe and Everett school districts.
No preregistration or identification is required, and there are no income or residency restrictions.
Even if a family doesn’t “need” a free meal they are welcome to one, said Jenna Lewis, supervisor of the Everett School District’s summer meal program.
“There’s plenty of food. We’re not going to run out,” Lewis said. “It’s a great opportunity for kiddos to get out of the house and see some smiling faces.”
The meals are subsidized by the United States Department of Agriculture and supplemented by donations from food banks, nonprofits and individuals.
Because of coronavirus restrictions, all food will be “grab and go” at curbside, and families are prohibited from eating on-site.
“That’s unusual for summer,” Lewis said. “Normally the USDA does not allow you to leave with any food; you must eat all of it on-site.”
Here’s a breakdown of summer meal service by school district:
Snohomish (June 29-Aug. 28)
With expanded service to 11 sites, the district could exceed last year’s total of 20,367 summer meals.
Nearly half of those (9,064) were served at Snohomish High School. The rest were delivered via the bright blue Kids Café van.
New locations include Seattle Hill and Cedar View elementary schools, Centennial Middle School, and Snohomish Mobile Home and RV Park on Avenue D.
“Historically in summer Snohomish High School has been a big café of ours,” said district spokesperson Kristin Foley. “The kids would get their food and eat in the cafeteria.”
That won’t be possible this summer, but Kids’ Café will serve “grab and go” breakfast at Snohomish High from 8:50-9:05 a.m., then lunch from 12:30-12:45 p.m.
Separate breakfast (8:15-8:45 a.m.) and lunch (noon-12:30 p.m.) will also be served at Boys and Girls Club, 402 Second St.
The following locations provide lunch plus breakfast for the following morning:
Seattle Hill Elementary — 10:50-11:05 a.m.
Centennial Middle School — 11-11:15 a.m.
Three Rivers Mobile Home Park — 11:25-11:40 a.m.
Circle H Mobile Home Park — 11:30-11:45 a.m.
Emerson Elementary — 12-12:15 p.m.
Valley View Middle School — 12-12:30 p.m.
Snohomish Aquatic Center — 12:35-12:50 p.m.
Snohomish Mobile Home & RV Park -- 12:50-1:05 p.m.
Cascade View Elementary — 1:05-1:20 p.m.
Monroe (July 1-Aug. 31)
The district will serve lunch from 11 a.m. to noon at Frank Wagner and Fryelands elementary schools, and from 12:30 to 1 p.m. at Maltby Elementary.
“Our meal service during the pandemic has been exceptional,” said district spokesperson Tamara Krache. “During the closure our food service and transportation department has served over 165,000 meals to our families.”
Summer food service will not deliver meals along bus routes, as during the school closure, and the number of meal sites will shrink from all five district elementary schools to three.
Past summer programs have served about 500 meals a day, Krache said.
Everett (June 22-Aug. 21)
A combined breakfast-lunch is already being served from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at seven elementary schools -- Cedar Wood, Evergreen, Garfield, Hawthorne, Jefferson, Lowell, and Silver Lake.
Additionally, a mobile van serves The District Apartments from 10:30-10:50 a.m., and Canyon Creek Estates from 11-11:30 a.m.
“Basically what we’re doing is continuing our emergency meal service,” Lewis said. “Right now we’re serving about 1,200 meals a day on average.”
Except for the precautions related to COVID-19, it’s shaping up to be a typical summer.
“Our main goal is feeding the kids,” Lewis said. “We won’t be deterred.”
More information about summer food programs can be found at district websites.
