BILLINGS — Billings School District 2 feeds 1,200 kids a day with its summer lunch program. It’s a staple for those suffering from food insecurity in the community and the program kicked off this Monday with a party at Central Park.
“I can’t bite it,” 9-year-old Courtland Morgan said as he was trying to eat an apple during the kickoff on Monday.
With his braces, apples might be a little hard for Morgan to eat right now, but he and his brothers weren’t going to miss the first day of the summer lunch program.
“It’s honestly free lunch, and my mom likes it ‘cuz it’s pretty good food,” said Morgan.
The program is meant to bridge the gap for kids dealing with food insecurity in the summer when they’re not in school.
“We have those kids where they don’t have food at home. They can hopefully walk over here safely and eat a lunch,” said Amber Blackburn, Sodexo’s food service manager for the program.
It’s especially needed as the number of kids served in food insecurity programs through School District 2 has risen 30% since November.
“We’ve been pretty blessed that we haven’t had to go through that as crazy as some other people have,” said Beta Lowther, a Billings mom of three.
Lowther’s family has been using the program for decades.
“I’ve been participating in it since I was a kid. My five siblings and I have come ever since we were little,” said Lowther.
It’s a useful family tradition as the summer lunch program offers free breakfast and lunch Monday through Friday at six parks throughout the community. It’s open to anyone.
“Adults can come eat for $5. They can bring their grandkids,” said Blackburn.
After their first kickoff party in nearly a decade went off without a hitch, they hope to serve even more families.
“If it’s free, more kids will be coming and it’ll be just fun to have more kids here you can play with,” said Billings student Red Costa.
To find more information on the Summer Lunch Program, visit this Facebook page.
