ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Buncombe County Schools will once again provide free meals to children and teens throughout the summer, offering on-site dining options and weekly meal pickups to help ensure students have access to nutritious food while school is out of session.
The district’s Summer Meals Program is available to all children 18 and younger and is designed to bridge the gap when school cafeterias are closed for summer break.
“Students may be out of school for the summer, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be able to eat healthy meals every day,” Buncombe County Schools said in information shared by the Buncombe Partnership for Children.
The program is a collaborative effort involving Buncombe County Schools, community organizations, the YMCA and Asheville Parks & Recreation camps. School officials said the shared goal is simple: keeping children from going hungry during the summer months.
On-site meals will be served Monday through Friday from June 12 through Aug. 14 at A.C. Reynolds High School, Community High School, Hominy Valley Elementary School, North Windy Ridge Intermediate School, Erwin High School and Koontz Intermediate School.
Breakfast will be available from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m., followed by lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. There will be no meal service July 3.
Families also can take advantage of weekly to-go meal options from June 22 through Aug. 10 at Barnardsville Elementary School, Leicester Elementary School and Pisgah Elementary School. Meal pickups will take place each Monday from 10 a.m. to noon. Children must be present at pickup, and registration is required.
In addition, the district’s Rolling to Feed Bus will make lunch stops at several Buncombe County housing communities throughout the summer. Scheduled stops include Hillcrest Apartments from 10 to 10:45 a.m., Pisgah View Apartments from 11:15 a.m. to noon and Livingston Apartments from 12:30 to 1:15 p.m.
Additional information, including registration details for meal pickup sites, is available through Buncombe County Schools.
