NEWS 25 WEHT Evansville, Henderson, OwensboroProgram Feeds Hungry Kids In Owensboro

Program Feeds Hungry Kids In Owensboro

story by Corey Allan

OWENSBORO - Burgers, buns and busy workers. 12 cafeteria employees from Owensboro Public Schools start work on thousands of meals as early as 5 AM for the Summer Feeding Program.

"It provides children regardless if they're free, reduced or paid an opportunity to eat a free meal in the summer. Not just that the meal is free, but it's a nutritional meal and we know they're being fed," said Summer Feeding Program Supervisor Lisa McCarty.

Boxes of meals stacked to the floor. OPS employees run it this month, and then in July, Daviess County Public Schools food employees take over.

"They prepare the sandwiches, they prepare the sack lunches, they're planning ahead for a couple of days in the since of getting the lunches. Things you might need," said McCarty.

Vans driven by local camp leaders pick up box and box of free food. As they go out, reinforcements for the week comes in. With orders changing on the fly.

"If you have that change, you have to be able to add meals to it or take meals away. So you don't have that waste of sending out too many meals that aren't going to be used," said McCarty.

Resemblance of a factory assembly line. The final product, a free meal for a hungry area child.

"At Owensboro Public Schools, our free and reduced lunch count is over 70%. We know there are kids in the city that need to have this meal available to them," said McCarty.

Officials say they know there are more kids out in Daviess County they don't know about that could use these free meals.

For more information on how your summer group or camp can sign up, contact Lisa Sims or Cathy Gentry with DCPS. You can reach them at 270-852-7000.