MORGANTON, N.C. — A new concept is coming to Burke County Public Schools' summer feeding program, one district leaders says will provide a fun experience with fresh ingredients.
According to the district, BCPS and Chartwells K12 will offer free breakfast and lunch this summer in the form of weekly meal kit bundles. Included in the bundles are healthy, fresh ingredients that will revolve around one of four themes:
- American Classics
- Taste of Italy
- South of the Border Chicken
- South of the Border Beef
The themes include recipes for meals like homemade fries, zucchini boats, beef-a-roni, and beef enchiladas. Recipes that come with each bundle will walk students step-by-step through the preparation of each meal, and there will be videos from Nick Bobotas, assistant director of dining services, to demonstrate some of the recipes.
“We’re so glad we have the opportunity to feed more students this summer and in a new, fun way," said Daniel Wall, director of child nutrition for BCPS. "These meal kits will let students enjoy fresh and nutritious meals every day this summer. We’re also giving students an opportunity to learn how to use food to cook delicious meals."
Along with the announcement of the new meal kit concept, BCPS announced how students will be fed as the summer progresses. Summer Learning Camp is coming up, so students will be fed on campus for breakfast and lunch in their school's cafeteria From June 7 through July 23. Students will be able to sign up at school to receive three-day meal kits that follow the same recipes to cover Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Students who aren't in Summer Learning Camp can pick up meal kits from Mountain View Elementary School or Heritage Middle School from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Meals won't be given on July 3 or 4 and July 10 or 11 in observance of the Fourth of July holiday. Since Summer Learning Camp will be closed July 5-9, students will instead take home 12 meal kits on July 1, covering breakfast and lunch for the weekdays of July 2 through 9. Students who aren't in camp can pick up 16 meal kits on June 30, covering breakfast and lunch for the weekdays of June 30 through July 9.
Once the camp is complete after July 26, Heritage Middle and Mountain View Elementary will offer meals from the cafeteria daily from Monday through Thursday, with meal kits available to be taken home for weekends. Additionally, the BCPS Food Truck will go out on Wednesdays to sites across Morganton:
- Hillcrest Elementary School
- PPG Paint Store
- Walker Road Baptist Church
The dates for the truck are July 28, August 4, and August 11.
Students not in the Summer Learning Camp who want to pick up meal kit bundles can sign up online. Anyone with questions can also call BCPS Child Nutrition at (828) 439-4320.
“The child nutrition staff in all of our cafeterias went above and beyond to make sure students were fed whether we were in school this past year or learning remotely and that will not change over the summer. We’re so thankful for all of the hard work that is going into keeping students fueled and ready to learn, play and have fun this summer," said interim superintendent Mike Swan.
Contact Matthew Ablon at mablon@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
