By: Scott McLendon

The Crenshaw County School System will be helping to provide free breakfast and lunches to kids and teens of the county.

Breakfast will be served from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at Brantley, Luverne and Highland Home Schools. Both breakfast and lunch are free to ages 18 and under. Children falling in the age range need not attend the previously mentioned schools to be eligible for the free summer program. The program will span a month and is funded by the USDA. The program runs though the entirety of June.

“This is our first year and we plan on hopefully being able to do it through the entire summer both June and July next year,” said program coordinator Ruth Bayman. “We’re doing pizza, hot dogs, hamburgers, corndogs and chicken nuggets. We picked some of the favorite lunch items of the kids receive during the year and that’s what we’ll be serving.”

The program does come with guidelines with certain items having to be served each meal.

The importance of a stable, nutritious diet simply cannot be overstated. According to usda.gov, children who miss breakfast are more prone to being sick, absent or tardy.Considering all of these factors, it also comes as little surprise that these students devoid of a decent meal also tend to score lower on standardized tests.

“Anyone who would like to volunteer their time to help with the program we’d be appreciative.”

The Summer Food Service Program or SFSP was designed by the USDA to maintain the flow of nutrition to low-income children while school is out of session.

For those who are unable to volunteer, but still wish to aid in this endeavor. the SFSP takes sponsors from the communities they serve. Eligible donors include: units of local government, schools, camps and private nonprofit organizations.

For families impoverished and in conditions of the like, summertime can bring hardship with the heat. This program aims to provide low-income children with access to a balanced, nutritional diet. Although its aim is to aid the low-income, any student living in the area 18 and under remains eligible.