Montgomery County Council President Valerie Ervin, Board of Education President Christopher S. Barclay, and Superintendent of Schools Joshua P. Starr visited John F. Kennedy High School in Silver Spring today to highlight the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Summer Food Service Program.
 
The Summer Food Service Program is located at 111 sites and serves 9,000 children throughout Montgomery County. This summer, there are six walk-in locations where any child, aged 18 and under, can receive a free meal. The walk-in sites enable students who are not registered for a summer program to still receive a free, nutritious meal.

“As a community we must be committed to supporting our students and that means not only a great education but a safe and nutritious meal too,” Mr. Barclay. “I am pleased we are able to continue this incredibly important program this year and I hope that we will be able to carry it on in future years.” 

Roughly 32 percent of MCPS students qualify for federal free and reduced-price meals, or about 44,000 children. MCPS has facilitated the Summer Food Service Program since 1976. The program is funded with federal dollars.

“Ensuring that children, especially our neediest children, have a nutritious meal is vitally important to their health and well being,” said Dr. Starr, who began his term as superintendent on July 1. “Hunger does not take the summer off and we have children in our buildings learning and in our community for whom this may be their only meal of the day. This is a vitally important program.”

The MCPS Division of Food and Nutrition Services prepares and delivers food to all summer program sites throughout the county. Last year, the program operated 108 sites and served more than 285,000 meals.
 
In addition to John F. Kennedy High School, the other free walk-in sites are Rolling Terrace Elementary School (Takoma Park), Summit Hall Elementary School (Gaithersburg), Argyle Middle School (Silver Spring), Maryvale Elementary School (Rockville) and Millian Memorial UMC, a church in Rockville. These locations are open through August 19. The walk-in programs are available from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. each weekday.
 
For more information visit the Summer Meals Program website.