MCPS Launches Summer Meals Program

Montgomery County Public Schools officially launched its 2012 Summer Meals Program Tuesday, announcing it will help feed thousands of students at sites throughout the county.

MCPS expects nearly 9,000 students will receive meals at 114 locations this summer, according to a press release. The locations include 10 walk-in sites where all children 18 and under can receive a free meal.

Locations in the Wheaton area include , which serves breakfast from 8-9 a.m. and lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m, and , which serves lunch from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“Our commitment to nourishing the minds and bodies of our students extends beyond the school year,” Shirley Brandman, president of the Montgomery County Board of Education, said in a press release. “This is a vital program for our community that is growing to meet the needs of our families.”

Thirty-three percent of children enrolled in MCPS are eligible for free and reduced price meals during the school year and that number has grown dramatically in recent years, according to the press release.

Staff from the MCPS Division of Food and Nutrition prepare and deliver food to all county locations and provided more than 320,000 meals in 2011, according to MCPS.

Superintendent Dr. Joshua Starr said the county was thankful for federal, state and local partnerships that make the program possible. It is funded by the Department of Agriculture and partners include the Montgomery County Council, Maryland Hunger Solutions, the Maryland State Department of Education, the Montgomery County Department of Recreation, the City of Gaithersburg, the City of Rockville, the Judy Center and Linkages to Learning.

For more information, including walk-in locations for meals, visit the Summer Meals Program website.