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57 °F Forecast | Road Cams Friday, June 11, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend June 9, 2004 Jessica Bradley, 10, sips a soda as Maggie Mendoza, 8, nibbles a french fry. Starting next week, both girls will be eating more nutritious fare as part of a federal summer food program that serves several Jackson County sites. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Summer Food Service Program begins next week By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune This week, lunch for Nisse Lowery’s kids and their friends is likely to be a hurried batch of fast-food burgers, fries and chicken nuggets. Lowery, a staff member at the Kids Unlimited youth agency in Medford, is juggling school’s-out child care with the demands of preparing for a nine-week summer camp that kicks off Monday. "We’re so busy, I was just going to run out and get Happy Meals," said Lowery, a 30-year-old mother of three. But starting next week, Lowery’s crew and the 500 other Kids Unlimited campers will be nibbling more nutritious meals, thanks to a federal program that helps make sure children get fed during the summer. Through more than a dozen sites in Jackson County, the Summer Food Service Program last year served more than 1,500 breakfasts, lunches and snacks each week day between mid-June and mid-August, according to state Education Department figures. Advertisement Even so, that amounts to less than a quarter of some 6,600 meals served during the school year. The disparity worries education, social service and hunger relief advocates, who say children who qualify for free- and reduced-price school meals may go hungry during the summer. "Are we meeting the need? No, it’s not even close," said Jeff Ashmun, general manager of nutrition services for Sodexho, which provides year-round meals for the Medford and Phoenix-Talent school districts. That feeling is echoed in school food programs throughout Jackson County, especially those addressing high levels of poverty. Sites are located in areas where at least 50 percent of families earn at least 185 percent of federal poverty levels, or about $34,000 annually for a family of four. Locally, sites range from Patrick Elementary School in Gold Hill, where 56 percent of students qualify for free or reduced meals, to White City Elementary School in White City, where nearly 73 percent of kids qualify, to Washington Elementary in Medford, where 86 percent of students qualify, according to state figures. "Probably twice the number of kids we serve, at least, could use this," says Dan Gordner, food service coordinator in Eagle Point, which provides more than 300 lunches a day in the summer. Reaching unserved children can be difficult for a range of reasons. Many parents don’t know where or when the programs are offered. Others have no way to get their kids to the meal sites while they’re at work. Still others shy away from what they believe are entitlement programs. Though it’s aimed at reaching low-income folks, the summer program is open to all children under age 18, says Holly Wilkalis, program coordinator for the Oregon Hunger Relief Task Force. That’s in part to reduce any stigma associated with accepting free meals and in part to encourage community members to feed their children well during the summer. In Gold Hill, it’s a philosophy that works, says Cathy Whalen, nutrition coordinator for Patrick Elementary School. "This is a unique area," she says. "There are kids who walk for miles for lunch. Other times, moms bring them in. It’s quite the community thing." The program meals are designed to appeal to kids while still ensuring proper nutrition, says Carleen Herrick, who runs the cafeteria at Roosevelt Elementary School in Medford. "We have waffles with berry syrup for breakfast or cinnamon rolls," she says. "For lunch, one day we’ll have sub sandwiches. It’s balanced lunches and breakfasts." Other selections range from turkey and gravy to spaghetti to teriyaki beef with rice. Oregon receives about $2 million a year of some $288.2 million in federal funds appropriated for the summer food program through Congress, education officials said. That prompts at least one meal provider, the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Rogue Valley, to note that the meals are not really "free." "We take care to say it’s included in the program because if you say ‘free,’ some people don’t value it," said Dick Hanlin, executive director. "It’s not free; someone has to pay for it." In fact, ACCESS Inc., which previously ran three small meal sites in Medford, had to stop this year because federal reimbursement rates were too low. Programs receive $1.38 for breakfast, $2.41 for lunch and 56 cents apiece for snacks. "It’s certainly a program I wanted to continue," said Nutrition Services Director Philip Yates. While Hanlin is happy the program provides meals for the 300 kids who attend Jackson County Boys and Girls Clubs in the summer, he doesn’t worry that kids who don’t come aren’t eating. Many families who receive free- and reduced-cost meals during the school year are able to provide for their kids during the summer, he said. "There aren’t tons of kids with bloated bellies in hospitals, are there?" he said. "I don’t think we should look at the extreme and think these kids are starving." While children might not, literally, be starving, Wilkalis said she’s heard from many parents who welcome the cost savings the program provides. "When I see people at the sites, they tell me, ‘If it wasn’t for this, I’d be feeding the kids, but they’d be getting watered-down macaroni and cheese,’" she says. At the Kids Unlimited sites, which are located in some of the most impoverished neighborhoods in Medford, parents, children and the agency count on the subsidized meals. Director Tom Cole estimates it would cost $150,000 to replace the breakfasts, lunches and snacks offered through Sodexho. As a mom and as a summer camp staffer, Lowery says she’s glad the program exists. "A lot of the kids don’t get to eat at home," she says. "These are good, rounded meals." Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Kids’ meal sites Meals will be served free to all children between ages 1 and 18 at several food sites in Jackson County. Locations and hours are listed below. Central Point School District Patrick Elementary School, 1500 Second Ave., Gold Hill. Lunch will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Monday through Friday, June 14 to Aug. 20. Eagle Point School District Little Butte Elementary School, 12 N. Shasta Ave., Eagle Point. Lunch will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Monday through Thursday, June 14 to Aug. 12. White City Elementary School, 2830 Maple Court Drive, Eagle Point. Lunch will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Monday through Friday, June 14 to Aug. 12. Medford School District Howard Elementary School, 286 Mace Road, Medford. Lunch will be served from 11:30 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday, June 14 to Aug. 12. Breakfast will be served from 8 to 8:30 a.m. Monday through Friday, July 19 to Aug. 12. Jackson Elementary School, 630 W. Jackson St., Medford. Breakfast will be served from 8 to 8:30 a.m., lunch from 11:30 a.m. to noon, Monday through Friday, June 14 through Aug. 6. Roosevelt Elementary School, 112 Lindley St., Medford. Breakfast will be served from 8 to 8:30 a.m., lunch from 11:30 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday, June 14 to Aug. 12. Jefferson Elementary School, 333 Holmes Ave., Medford. Breakfast will be served from 8 to 8:30 a.m., lunch from 11:30 a.m. to noon Monday through Thursday, July 19 to Aug. 12. Washington Elementary School, 610 S. Peach St., Medford. Breakfast will be served from 8 to 8:30 a.m., lunch from 11:30 a.m. to noon, Monday through Thursday, July 19 to Aug. 12. Oak Grove Elementary School, 2838 Jacksonville Highway, Medford. Breakfast will be served from 8 to 8:30 a.m., lunch from 11:30 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday, June 14 to Aug. 12. Wilson Elementary School, 1400 Johnson St., Medford. Breakfast will be served from 8 to 8:30 a.m., lunch from 11:30 a.m. to noon Monday through Thursday, July 19 to Aug. 12. Phoenix-Talent School District Barnett Townhomes, 1852 E. Barnett Road, Medford. Lunch will be served from 11:30 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday, June 21 to Aug. 13. Talent Elementary School, 307 W. Wagner Ave., Talent. Breakfast will be served from 8 to 8:30 a.m., lunch from 11:30 a.m. to noon Monday through Thursday, June 14 to Aug. 12. Phoenix Elementary School, 215 N. Rose St., Phoenix. Lunch will be served from 11:30 a.m. to noon Monday through Thursday, June 14 to Aug. 12. 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