The kids sat at picnic tables at New Chicago’s Twin Oaks Park Thursday munching on ham and cheddar submarine sandwiches provided by the food service department at the River Forest Community School Corp.
“They love it,” Britney Bansley said of her three children, Joshua Smith, 8, Cephas Smith, 6, and Evalynn Smith, 4. “This my first time here because I have a random day off. My babysitter has been bringing them.”
Bansley said she likes the program also because if the kids don’t finish their meals, they’re able to bring them home to eat later.
River Forest is one of dozens of Northwest Indiana school districts and charter schools taking part in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s SUN Meals, a free summer nutrition program for children 18-and-under.
“Our kids really need it,” said River Forest food service director Nick Alessandri. “Thirty-five is a pretty good turnout,” he said of Thursday’s attendance at Twin Oaks. “I definitely think the program is necessary.”
Throughout the U.S., various sites, including schools, parks, libraries, and others offer free lunches while school is out to make sure children receive nutritious options.
Formerly known as the Summer Food Service Program, it’s been around for decades and received a menu update last year by the Biden administration with SUN Meals, SUN Meals To-GO and the new SUN Bucks program.
This year, Indiana opted out of the second-year SUN Bucks program, which provides needy families in the Electronic Benefits Transfer program (EBT) with a grocery benefit of $120 per eligible school child.
Indiana joined the program last year under former Gov. Eric Holcomb, but officials in the Braun administration blamed Holcomb’s administration for insufficient planning and funding preparations leaving it unable to fulfill the program’s requirements.
The SUN Meals program, however, remains unaffected throughout the state.
The Twin Oaks Park site is one five sites served by River Forest schools, said Superintendent Kevin Trezak.
Twin Oaks is the lone one with a learning component, said New Chicago Park Board vice president Morgan McCabe.
On Thursday, the children watched Patricia Riley-Churilla teach common American Sign Language phrases such as family and mother.
They also have speakers from the New Chicago-Lake Station Public Library and the Shirley Heinze Land Trust. The kids craft art projects on Mondays and last year, they painted park benches, McCabe said.
Trezak said the three offsites together are averaging about 85 kids a day. “These are great numbers for us since the offsite spots are aimed to serve those with transportation needs,” he said.
Northwest Indiana is home to multiple free school lunch sites from East Chicago to LaPorte. To find a site, see: https://www.fns.usda.gov/summer/sitefinder.
Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
