Free summer meals delivered from Hartford Central School

HARTFORD, N.Y. (NEWS10) -Hartford Central School is seeing success with its new summer meals program, available to the entire student body. The program expands on a similar COVID-19 policy where parents could pick up meals for home while school was in session.

All 400 students have been eligible for free breakfasts and lunch when school is in session. Recently, there’s been a dramatic increase in those actually using the free meals and a realization that there's also a need for food at home. "When we were made aware of a grant opportunity to provide summer meals, especially in a non-congregate setting, it was something that we wanted to explore to continue to provide the opportunity for nutritious meals for our students," said Superintendent Andrew Cook.

Two staff members prepare upwards of 800 meals each week. They arrive fresh on students' doorsteps every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

"We'll send out turkey and ham sandwiches, make sure they get fresh fruit, juices. They get their milk every week and a little treat inside, whether it's chips, cookies; something a little special for the kids," described Ryan Withrow, Food Service Director. This is thanks to a $15,000 grant.

And not just students are benefitting. The program has created jobs for school bus drivers during a typically slow season. "They don't have the normal contract during the summer so they look for any extra hours that they can get. This has given them that time and also the time to still see the students and interact with them," explained Susan Greene-Smith, Transportation Supervisor.

The administration at Hartford says this is just the beginning of what summer meals can be. With proper funding, they hope to add free dinners. Anyone in the district who's interested in signing up for the summer meal program has until August 30.

"We're looking to expand that. And hopefully talk to other school districts as well. See if they have an interest in expanding or staring a non-congregate option for them," stated Cook.