Free summer meals offered at 3 schools

HONOLULU — The state Department of Education announced last week that Kapa‘a Elementary, Kekaha School and King Kaumuali‘i Elementary School will offer meals free of charge over the summer to children ages 18 years and younger, regardless of public school enrollment status, through its summer food service program.

Beginning in early June the Seamless Summer Option (SSO) program will serve meals at the schools weekdays except for the June 10 King Kemahemeha Day and July 4 Independence Day holidays.

SSO is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and was established to ensure that children continue to receive nutritious meals during the summer.

“Good nutrition is vital to the health and development of our growing keiki, and summer food service programs help to ensure that meals are available for all school-aged children during the summer break,” DOE Superintendent Keith Hayashi said.

“We encourage our parents to make these meals part of your child’s summer schedules to give them balanced and nutritious options. We thank our devoted cafeteria staff and administrators and our federal partners for making this program possible each year,” said Hayashi.

Schools can opt to serve breakfast only, lunch only or both meals. Parents should view detailed serving locations and times or call their nearest participating school directly for more details.

Summer meals will no longer be offered in grab-and-go containers and will return to on-campus dining only, the standard format used prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meal recipients do not have to be enrolled at a participating school to be served, and meals will consist of solid foods. For special diet accommodations, email specialdiets@k12.hi.us with as much detail as possible.

Schools eligible for the SSO program must have 50% or more of its regularly enrolled students qualified for free or reduced-price lunches and some type of summer program on campus.