CCISD’s free summer breakfast and lunch program starts this week

By LYNETTE SOWELL

Cove Leader-Press

The Copperas Cove Independent School District is kicking off its summer feeding program tomorrow, to provide free breakfast and lunch for children up to 18 years of age. 

Children need not be enrolled as CCISD students to participate, said the district’s director of child nutrition, Melissa Bryan. 

“If grandparents have kids visiting for the summer, bring them! If families have out of town friends and need a way to feed the extra kiddos, find a site that is closest to you and bring them to eat breakfast and lunch.”

Adults, parents, grandparents are also welcome to have breakfast and/or lunch, with meals costing $2.50 for breakfast and $4 for lunch at all locations.

“Along with the normal Summer Feeding sites that we have that run in conjunction with Summer School this year, we are partnering with two new locations to benefit the kids and families in our community, and I am very excited about them,” said Melissa Bryan, CCISD’s child nutrition director. 

This year, the district is partnering with the Copperas Cove Public Library where they will be serving lunch Monday through Friday. 

“This new site allows kids to participate in the many kid-friendly events that the library plans each summer. The kids can enjoy a healthy, hot lunch and then participate in events or they can take the opportunity to check out the wonderful books the library has to offer,” Bryan said. 

The second new site for the summer is Fairview Community Church. Bryan said that after meeting with the church’s pastor, she knew the site was perfect to help the families in need in the neighborhoods that surround the church and Fairview/Miss Jewell Elementary School. 

The district will be serving some of the menu favorites from the school year, Bryan added, also stating that some summer feeding programs drop off sack lunches for kids, but that’s not the case for CCISD. 

Bryan said that families can save money in other ways by taking children to campuses to eat breakfast and/or lunch.

“It’s important to note that during Summer kids are at home, and like most parents, I have experienced the lights being left on and more electronics being used. This has a huge impact on electricity bills being a lot higher during the summer. This sometimes causes hardships on families and that is where we step in and help the families save some money by feeding the kids in our area. 

“Our program is here to help take some of the burden off of families on what to serve their kiddos during the summer. To me it is a win-win situation for our entire community and CCISD.”

Some sites serve both breakfast and lunch, and others will serve lunch only. The program will be closed from July 1-8, and reopen July 9.

The CCISD summer feeding program locations include:

Williams/Ledger 

Elementary School

905 Courtney Ln.

Breakfast 7:15-8:30 a.m.; lunch 11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

June 5-June 28, and July 9–26

Copperas Cove 

Junior High School

702 Sunny Ave.

Breakfast 7:30-8:30 a.m.; lunch 11:15 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

June 5-28

Copperas Cove High School

400 S. 25th St.

Breakfast 7:15–8:30 a.m.; lunch 11:15 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

June 7-28

ASYMCA 

501 Clara Dr.

Lunch only: 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

June 5-28, July 9–26

ASYMCA at Copperas Cove City Park

1204 Avenue B, Building D

Breakfast 8-9 a.m.; lunch 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

June 5-28, July 9–26

Copperas Cove Public Library

501 South Main St.

Lunch only 11:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.

June 5-28, July 9–26

Farivew Community Church

1202 Veterans Ave.

Breakfast 7:45 – 8:45 a.m.; lunch 11:45 a.m.– 12:45 p.m.

June 5-28, July 9–26

Times and dates are subject to change based on low participation during the program.

The district’s summer breakfast and lunch menus will be posted at the Child Nutrition Department webpage at CCISD.com. 

CCISD’s Child Nutrition Department is a self-sustaining operation which receives funds from the federal government’s National School Lunch Program. No funds from the district’s General Fund are used in the operation of the Child Nutrition Department. In addition to participating in the National School Lunch Program, CCISD also participates in the School Breakfast Program, both which are administrated by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).