LIMA, OH (WLIO) - Many families rely on free or reduced meals to feed their children during the school year, and during the summer, it can become difficult to provide those. That's where the Lima City Schools can still assist families.
Lima City Schools is providing a free summer lunch program to children from 1 to 18 years of age, and they don't even have to attend Lima City Schools. There are eat-in sites and mobile sites with the Spartan Lunch Express.
The program is subsidized by the United States Department of Agriculture and offers a variety of options to make sure students get a balanced meal. There is a new service for the family added at Heritage Elementary on Thursdays this year to promote healthy choices.
"They have to sign up for an application and it's income based. We'll have fresh corn, watermelon, sweet potatoes and it's all at no cost, just an application needs to be filled out," explained Carrie Woodruff, Lima City Schools food services director.
That application is available on-site at Heritage.
The free summer lunch program runs Mondays through Thursdays starting June 3rd through July 25th, with no meals on July 4th. Eat-in meals are from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Heritage Elementary School (816 College Ave.), Independence Elementary School (615 Tremont Ave.), Liberty Arts Magnet School (338 W. Kibby St.), and Unity Elementary School (925 E. Third St.).
The Spartan Lunch Express will make stops at Lincoln Park from 11:00 a.m. to 11:20 a.m., Martin Luther King Park from 11:30 a.m. to 11:50 a.m., and Faurot Park from 12:00 p.m. to 12:20 p.m. with packaged take-and-go meals.
The Children's Hunger Alliance will be providing shelf-stable meals at Lima West Apartments from 11:30 a.m. to 11:50 a.m. and at Maplewood Apartments from 12:00 p.m. to 12:20 p.m.
