By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The USD 489 Summer Meals Program use has doubled this summer compared to last.
Last year when the program was at the Hays Public Library, the program was serving an average of 250 to 300 children daily.
This year, the program is serving an average of 600 to 650 children daily through its drive-though meal pickup option.
Jessica Younker, USD 489 director of nutrition services, said the program received a waiver due to COVID-19 to provide the meals through a drive-through system instead of requiring children to eat the food onsite.
The federally funded program was also allowed to provide breakfast this summer, which it has not been able to do in the past.
The district's meal waiver was extended through July 23. The district also received a $6,000 grant from Feeding Kansas Kids to help offset the extra cost of providing meals via drive-through.
Younker partially attributed the increase in use to the ease of the drive-through system.
Younker said she also thinks the increase in use is a result of an increase in food insecurity for children.
"I just saw on a training that every county in Kansas food insecurity of children has had a dramatic increase over the last few months," Younker said. "I think Ellis County is not exempt from that. ...
"Families are having a harder time just getting food on the table. With school being out their budgets are a little tighter than they might have been in previous summers."
The program is free to any child 18 and younger. The child does not have to be enrolled in USD 489 schools. Pick up is available 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays in Hays High School east parking lot.
Lunch and breakfast for the next morning will be offered each day. Friday's meals will be included in Thursday's offerings.
The program had also been serving meals at Lincoln Elementary School, but the district will be eliminating that site as of Monday for staffing reasons, Younker said.
