Mt. Diablo Unified Kicks Off Inaugural Free Summer Meals Program

From Mt. Diablo Unified School District:

What: Kick-off BBQ celebrating new free summer meals program for students in the Mount Diablo Unified School District. The federally-funded program will provide free meals to children and teens while school is out as a way to keep kids healthy and engaged with their schools and local community during the summer. By partnering with the Contra Costa Library, MDUSD is encouraging children to take advantage of summer reading programs to keep learning going year-round, feeding minds as well as bodies.

When: Wednesday, June 29, 2016, noon – 3:00 p.m.

• BBQ featuring locally grown food from
• Speakers will include Dr. Nellie Meyer, MDUSD Superintendent; Tom Torlakson, CA State Superintendent of Public Instruction; and Jesus Mendoza, USDA Food and Nutrition Service Western Regional Administrator
• Concord City Council members will help serve meals to the families
• Ballet Folklorico performance by Costa De Oro
• Book giveaway with the Contra Costa Library
• Family activities to include taste tests, container gardening and more
• Community partners for the program include California Summer Meal Coalition, Contra Costa Library, Center for Ecoliteracy, First Five Contra Costa, Tandem Partners in Early Learning, Contra Costa Department of Public Health, WIC, Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano, and Contra Costa Childcare Council

Where: Sun Terrace Elementary School, 2448 Floyd Lane, Concord, CA 94520 (View map/directions)

Background: During the 2014-2015 school year, more than 2.4 million children in California relied on free and reduced price meals provided by USDA’s National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs, but the data show only a fraction of eligible students participate in summer meal programs; roughly one in six, or 477,000 participated in USDA summer meal programs, according to a report by Washington DC-based Food Research and Action Center.

The Seamless Summer Meals program, sponsored by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service, helps ensure that students who would typically receive school breakfast and lunch during the school year continue to have access to free and healthy lunches during the summer time, hence ensuring the food program is “seamless’ as it begins shortly after schools let out for summer break. The MDUSD program is offered at 16 school locations for kids and teens 18 and younger, and disabled adults. (See list of schools)

MDUSD is one of 58 school districts across the state which participate in California Thursdays, a program committed to serving freshly-prepared meals with California-grown ingredients. Extending the program into summer supports children’s health, local farmers and producers, and the community as a whole.

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