As school years end throughout the Northland, kids are once again enjoying summer break with friends and family. However, for some area families, summer break can be a stressful time as school lunch programs end and they struggle to provide meals for their children for various reasons.
Thankfully, Duluth Public Schools will once again be helping to bridge the gap between school years by providing free meals for children. This is a great service and I've seen firsthand how this impacts local families.
When I was in college, I worked a couple of summers as a Youth Rec Leader for the City of Duluth, stationed in the Lincoln Park area. At that time, the City also provided a free summer meal program and the kids were so appreciative, as were the parents.
Duluth Public Schools made the formal announcement earlier this week that summer meals will be provided for all kids aged 18 and younger at no cost. All the kids have to do is show up and then chow down.
From Monday, June 20 through Friday, August 18, breakfast will be served from 7:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and lunch will be served from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the following Duluth schools:
- Laura MacArthur Elementary, 720 N Central Avenue
- Lowell Elementary, 2000 Rice Lake Road
- Denfeld High School, 401 N 44th Avenue W
- Myers-Wilkins Elementary, 1027 N 8th Avenue E
- Piedmont Elementary, 2827 Chambersburg Avenue
- Stowe Elementary, 715 101st Avenue W
All meals must be eaten at the site and there will be no meals served on the 4th Of July. Duluth Public Schools encourage anyone with questions about the summer meal program to call 218-336-8707.