Teams of workers wearing brightly colored shirts move swiftly and precisely inside the Whitfield Career Academy cafeteria, preparing and packing hundreds of sandwiches, burritos, fruit and milk.
Every morning, the six teams are responsible for close to 5,000 breakfast and lunch meals that are distributed among area children under the Seamless Summer Nutrition Program.
"This program is very important," said Annette Coe, food service manager for Whitfield County Schools, one of several region school districts participating in the federal program.
"We have some very poverty-stricken areas in the county, a lot of these kids wouldn't eat a meal on a daily basis if it wasn't for this program," she said, surrounded by boxes of animal crackers, cases of bananas and thousands of loaves of bread.
The program is fully funded by the federal government, said Iris Graham, director of school nutrition at Whitfield County Schools.
"It doesn't take away from any budget locally. If we don't use it it's just not used," she said. "We want to take advantage of anything that can help our families in this area."
Schools, church buildings, playgrounds, apartment complexes and parks serve as sites where volunteers and district employees provide a meal for any child under 18.
"We choose our sites based on the need and the number of kids in that area," said School Nutritionist Fey Brindle with Dalton City Schools, which has participated in the program for seven years.
The program runs Monday through Friday and most sites serve breakfast and lunch.
This year, the Whitfield Career Academy will also be open on weekends and is the only place that offers a hot meal in addition to the regular items such as peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, hamburgers, fruit and veggie sticks.
Angela Garcia sat with her four children Thursday while they enjoyed small cups of fruit and chicken sandwiches at the Career Academy.
NUTRITION PROGRAMArea sites for the Seamless Summer Nutrition Program:* Whitfield County (through Aug. 6):Whitfield Career Academy; Antioch Elementary School; Dawnville Elementary School; Eastside Elementary School; Pleasant Grove Elementary School; Tunnel Hill United Methodist Church; Stanley Street Eastside Area; Riverbend trailer park; Mountain View subdivision.* Dalton (school locations are closed Fridays from June 7-Aug. 6):Blue Ridge Elementary School; Dalton Recreation Center; Roan Elementary School; Westwood Elementary School; Salvation Army; New Hope Baptist Church; Central Church of Christ; Georgian Apartments; Al Rollins Park; Civitan Park.* Catoosa County: Through July 16: Battlewood Apartments; Catoosa Gardens Apartments; Oglethorpe Ridge Apartments; Bedford Place Apartments (pending); Hickory Grove trailer park (pending)From June 7-June 30: Lakeview Middle School; Ringgold Middle School; Ringgold United Methodist Church.* For a complete list of all the sites, contact the school district nearest you.
"This is a really good program because you save a lot, especially if you are alone," said the single mother of two boys and two girls ages 9, 7 and 4-year-old twins.
She works the night shift at a local carpet factory and a couple of hours after she arrives home, she gets the children ready and makes the 15-minute drive so they'll have a balanced meal.
"I try to save as much as I can," she said.
This year, Whitfield school officials expect to distribute 20 percent to 25 percent more meals due to the recession, Mrs. Coe said.
"The economy has affected everyone, every group in the community," she said. "People are struggling to keep their lights on, to keep a roof over their heads.
"We need to take care of our children, they can't change the situation they are in."
Last year, the system served up to 4,000 meals daily, she said, and this year she expects to reach 5,000 by the end of the program on Aug. 6.
Mrs. Brindle said officials started the program last Monday, serving more than 3,000 meals a day, an unusual number for the first week. She expects to distribute more than 3,500 by the end of the summer.
Both school districts have more than 40 sites where the meals are served around the county.
More Meals
* First Baptist Church of Dalton is serving a free meal from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on the first, third and fifth Tuesdays of each month. Takeout meals are $1 a plate. For more information, call 706-278-2911 or visit 311 N. Thornton Ave., in Dalton, Ga
Continue reading by following these links to related stories:
Article: Southeast Tennessee, North Georgia schools offer free lunch
Article: Education budget forecast grim -- again