City steps up to provide kids free lunch
PORTLAND, Ore. – Portland’s stepping up to right a wrong that left hundreds of less fortunate kids hungry when their free-lunch program ended.
For three weeks many kids will end up going without their free lunch. Their summer lunch program ended Aug. 15 but school doesn’t start until September. The city just found out about the gap and decided to something about it.
For the next three weeks kids in need will get sandwiches, carrots, fruit, and chocolate milk thanks, in part, to Portland Mayor Sam Adams.
Someone notified Adams' office that his youngest constituents were going without because of an unnoticed lapse between the summer lunch program and the start of school.
“The three-week gap occurred because employees with Portland Public Schools in the food service kitchen needed a break to gear up for the new school year and take a summer vacation,” said Adams. The resources have always been there. It's a question of the people-power.”
But with money tight the city had to get creative by reaching out to other local school districts and within the city.
“The Water Bureau stepped up and provided vans; parks employees said they would cover the three-week period,” City Commissioner Nick Fish said.
Jeremy Erb, a pastor, said he thinks there is a large number of kids who might have missed lunch during the three-week gap. “So it's really a needed program for sure,” he said, which is why local neighborhood churches like "The Table" are providing volunteers.
“We want to love and bless the city so it was a great opportunity to step in and fill in the gap,” said Erb.
The cost of the lunches will still be covered by the federal government. It’s the transportation of the food and the distribution of it that’s not.
Hi.  I have a 4 and 6 year old child. I  just found out about  Free summer meals program this wednesday and the closest school in our area was Markham. On our second visit we arrived as the first family and were given our lunch in a larger black lunch box that had hot and spicy radishes as the vegetable of choice. This was a bit strange because the previous day we were handed lunch in a white box.  I didnt really question the black boxes we were given until I noticed all the other families were eating from a white lunch box like the ones my kids were given the previous day. "I asked the workers an older male and the younger female  why were my children given black boxed lunches while everyone else had white boxes". The young female said that the black boxes were meat sandwiches and the white boxes were vegetarian. I said ohhhhh k. I then go back today and when we arrived we were given another black box, when I asked for the vegetarian box I was told they were out even though I noticed more boxes in another box that were not black. Then I ask the older male why my kids are being given the black boxes when everyone else have the white and beige and he said that the black boxes are day olds from the previous days lunch and that they were told to give them out first. But today we were not the first family and they still gave my children the day OLD summer meal from the previous day. This is NOT acceptable and is not what I expected from Oregon's Free Summer Meals.Please respond as my children were given day OLD food without being informed nor without my permission as my children DO NOT EAT OLD or OUTDATED FOOD.Â