Area summer food programs feed local kids

La Crosse School District and Salvation Army could serve more than 70,000 meals

LA CROSSE, Wis. (WKBT) — Thousands of area kids use meals their schools provide to stay healthy and grow strong.

“They get hot meals, which include a fruit, a vegetable, and an option of milk,” said Angie Seeger, the nutrition specialist at the La Crosse School District.

That well-rounded eating won’t stop any time soon, thanks to a federally funded summer food program.

“The way to qualify to be a site is to have 50 percent free or reduced lunch students for the school year in your school building,” Seeger said.

The La Crosse School District will provide 50,000 meals at seven of their schools, the local YMCA, and Boys and Girls Club this summer. Officials said any child is invited to come eat regardless of their family’s income.

“They don’t have to go to school in La Crosse; they can go to school in Holmen, Onalaska, West Salem; or be visiting for the week,” Seeger said.

The Salvation Army is also doing their part too, through the “Feed the Kids,” but their program focuses on a specific group of kids.

“We make sack lunches and take them to kids who otherwise might go hungry,” Julie Nelson of the Salvation Army said.

This summer, volunteers will pack and deliver meals to 300 kids each day aiming to feed kids who not be near of one of the La Crosse School District’s food program sites.

“We go to places where the school is not easily accessible,” Nelson said.

Together the La Crosse School District and Salvation Army could serve more than 70,000 thousand meals to kids.

“We feel like we are going to reach more kids this summer, and that’s our goal,” Seeger said.

Summer Food Program sites: Emerson, Hintgen, Lincoln, Logan High, Longfellow, Northside, Summit, YMCA-La Crosse, Teen Center.