Schools

Summer Meals Bring Sense of Community to Alice Smith

The program offers free, hot meals to all children.

Kim Sheats is a Hopkins resident who watches her grandson and two children during the summer. Feeding three boys could be a lot of work, but thankfully Sheats has another option: the Summer Food Service Program at .

The program offers free, hot breakfast and lunch to school-aged children on weekdays—which allows Sheats to spend less time making sandwiches and more time playing with the children she cares for. Adults who accompany a child can eat a meal for $1.

“It’s really nice that we can eat here,” Sheats said after finishing a chicken lunch.

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The U.S. Department of Agriculture pays for the meals in areas where a large number of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, said Barb Mechura, the school district’s director of student nutrition.

The grant aims to provide nutritious meals during summer vacation to children in need and those whose parents work. Each meal consists of a healthful entrée, fruit, vegetable and milk. Most entrées are made from fresh ingredients and prepared from scratch.

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This year’s program started three days after school ended and concludes Aug. 19, about two weeks before the first day of school.

Unlike free and reduced lunch programs during the school year, the Summer Food Service Program is open to anyone. Children who eat at Alice Smith come from all socio-economic backgrounds, Mechura said. Many parents stop by with their children for the sense of community as much as the food.

“There’s nothing more sacred than breaking bread together,” Mechura said.

Sheats said she loves how her boys get exercise on the walk to the school, play with their friends on the playground after lunch and make plans with other children to meet up later.

The district lines up special events to bring an even greater sense of community to the program. Hopkins firefighters visited Monday and . Hopkins received additional grants this year from the Vikings Children's Fund and Second Harvest to promote the program and bring in activities such as face painting and an inflatable bounce house.

“There’s more to health and wellness than just eating,” Mechura said.

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Summer Food Service Program

  • When: Breakfast is served weekdays from 8:45 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. Lunch is served weekdays from 12:30 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. The program concludes Aug. 19.
  • Where: (801 Minnetonka Mills Road)
  • Cost: Free for all children younger than 18. Adults who accompany a child can buy a meal for $1. 
  • Upcoming special events:
    • Face painting: 12:30 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. Monday.
    • Inflatable Bounce House: 12:30 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. Aug. 19.


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