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District offers summer meals

ABOVE: Several Chartwell employees serve a family lunch Thursday afternoon at Fairmont Elementary School during the Summer Foods Program. The program began this week and will end later this month.

FAIRMONT — Fairmont is making sure children aren’t left hungry this summer. The Fairmont Area School District this week began offering free breakfast and lunch to ensure families, especially those in economic struggle, have meals. The Summer Foods Program will last until July 26. The breakfast meals are served out of Fairmont Elementary School (FES) between 8:30 am and 9:00 am. The lunch meals are served between 12:00 pm and 12:30 pm.

Jessica Inglett, a woman with prior experience in food service, shared that this summer is her first year as Director of Chartwell for Fairmont’s food distribution occasion. Inglett remarked she is happy to serve the individuals who arrive at the cafeteria for their food.

“It’s a rewarding experience,” Inglett said.

Assisting Jessica Inglett are Chantelle Casity and Michele Bulock, the cooks of the program who prepare and distribute the meals to visitors. According to Inglett, she and the cooks see roughly 120 children for lunch and between 60 and 75 for breakfast. Because the meals are distributed in the elementary school, the majority of attendees are elementary school-aged students.

According to Minnesota’s Department of Health, 45 percent of students in Martin County struggle with economic disadvantage and are on the Free and Reduced Lunch Price Program. With many students in Martin County in economic crisis, many families in the area have found the Summer Foods Program to be positive, aiding and useful in regards to keeping them fed. Inglett hasn’t noted direct feedback from youths or parents (due to the event just beginning for the year), however, the immediate, significant turnout was proof that participants were surely benefiting from the program itself.

“We want to make sure [the children] have access to meals in the summer,” Inglett said.

The program is not restricted to community members and students within Fairmont. Anyone who can, may attend the event. Adolescents and children 18 and younger may attend for free and upon registration. Parents and guardians are allowed to attend. However, adults are required to purchase a ticket for a small fee in the elementary school office. According to event regulations, meals must be consumed on-site by both parent/guardian and child.

Inglett and the coordinators for the Summer Foods Program have stated that they try to engage the community about their program with several posters around the city of Fairmont.

In July of 2023, Governor Tim Walz signed the Free School Meals for Kids bill into law. According to the Minnesota Department of Education, this law passed by Walz allows state reimbursement for free breakfast and lunch. According to Inglett, the Fairmont Area has been taking full advantage of this opportunity to keep children of the community fed during their break from school.

The meal program for students is primarily held in the summer season. However, during the school year Early Childhood and Family Education (ECFE) provide occasional dinners for families, according to Inglett.

The menu is planned for each day’s distribution and can be located on the NutriSlice menu feature, which is located on the Fairmont Area Schools website. The program aims to promote sustenance and follows nutritional guidelines.

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