Hoover schools, library offer free lunches for kids this summer

May 24, 2018 7:06 PM

Photo courtesy of Hoover City Schools.

The Hoover school system is partnering with the Hoover Public Library to offer free lunches for children on weekdays this summer.

Any child age 18 or younger can come to the Hoover Public Library between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on Monday through Friday (June 4-July 27) and receive a lunch with a sandwich (or pizza slice), vegetable, fruit and milk, said Melinda Bonner, the child nutrition program director for Hoover City Schools.

It’s the first time the school system has offered free lunches during the summer, Bonner said.

“It’s not going to be a cold sandwich every day,” she said. “One day it may be a hamburger or a chicken sandwich.”

The lunches will be prepared at Rocky Ridge Elementary School and taken to the Hoover Public Library on a bus that has been retrofitted for the child nutrition program, she said. Some lunches will be served directly from the bus, and others will be served inside the library.

“The only caveat is that they have to eat it right there,” Bonner said.

The summer feeding program is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National School Lunch Program, and most costs are being reimbursed by that program, she said. The federal government wants to ensure that children are actually the ones getting the food, she said.

There are a few ancillary costs being covered by the Hoover Helps nonprofit organization and businesses, Bonner said. That includes a decorative wrap with pictures of food that is being put on the outside of the school bus, she said. The bus itself is a 2002 model that was being retired, she said.

The Hoover Public Library was chosen as the food distribution point because it is in the census tract with a high enough percentage of students qualifying for free or reduced-price meals, Bonner said.

School officials aren’t sure how many children to expect but are planning for about 250 per day, she said. No identification is required, and children do not have to be enrolled in Hoover schools or sign anything to receive the lunches.