RICHMOND — The Edison Local School District began its Seamless Summer Option Program to assist students while school is not in session. The program is an extension of the National School Lunch and Breakfast programs and designed to continue providing healthy meals to students during the summer months for the purpose of combatting child hunger.

Once approved through the state agency, school food authorities serve free meals to children 18 years of age and under who are from low-income families.

Christine DelGuzzi-Chipps, district director of food and nutrition at Nutrition Inc., explained this is her third year with the program. This year’s program began June 4 and runs though Aug. 15. It is held from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesdays through Thursdays at Edison High School in Richmond. The program will be closed for Independence Day from July 1-5 and resume from Mondays through Thursdays beginning July 8.

DelGuzzi-Chipps said hundreds of meals were served within the first two days.

“In only the first two days, we served 260 breakfasts and 355 lunches,” she commented.

Students are offered breakfast choices between one hot entree and two grab-and-go items, milk, fruits and hot or cold vegetables. For lunch, the students can choose between two hot entrees, peanut butter and jelly, one milk, fruit and hot or cold vegetables.

“Because the SSO is an extension of the National School Lunch and Breakfast programs, we follow the same meal patterns,” she added.

DelGuzzi-Chipps said students were not required to register for the free program because the district yields a population greater than 50 percent eligible for receiving free and reduced lunches. Edison is able to offer meals at no cost to those under 18.

“The program is not entirely grant funded,” she stated. “We have a supply chain grant that assists in the purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables and milk. We receive government commodities from the USDA throughout the school year that assist the district in the purchasing of food. However, the majority of the food we provide to the students is paid for by the district. The district does receive reimbursement rates for each meal served of $4.27 for lunch and $2.37 for breakfast.”

“The food used is purchased through a combination of local vendors and Performance Group food services,” she continued. “We make effort to shop Ohio Proud using Sirna and Sons, United Dairy and Nickles Bakery. The students just come into the cafeteria and choose from the options provided that day. They are able to sit in the cafeteria and enjoy their meals with other students.”

Nutrition programs like SSO make sure students have access to healthy meals during the summer break.

“During the school year, meals are available to kids through school breakfast and lunch,” DelGuzzi-Chipps concluded. “But children lose critical access to meals during the summer when schools are out. To fill this gap, we operate the SSO to provide meals to kids at no cost to them.”

For information, contact the school at (740) 282-0068 or visit helpdesk@edisonwildcats.org.