Children from one to 18 will have the chance to receive a free breakfast and hot lunch throughout the summer courtesy of the Vicksburg Warren School District.

The meals will be provided Monday through Friday starting Tuesday, May 30, and ending Friday, June 30, at Vicksburg High School. Breakfast will be served from 8-9:30 a.m. and lunch will be served from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

“We know that it will be a great help to the community and the students and any kids that are coming through the Vicksburg Warren School District to have access to breakfast and lunch,” VWSD Director of Child Nutrition Laura Bounds said. “The more participation we have, the more the program will grow.”

This is the third year that the program will be offered. It is open to all children and not just those that attend VWSD schools.

“As far as child nutrition goes, our big push for the summer is the summer feeding program,” Bounds said. “We access it at Vicksburg High so kids can have access to the public pool and the local parks so they can have the physical activity.”

Bounds said that in the past two years they typically serve breakfast to a little over 100 kids each day and lunch to around 200.

“It really does improve the quality of life for a lot of our kids that don’t have access to a hot breakfast or lunch during the summer time,” Bounds said. “I know it does wonders for a lot of families in our community. It relieves stress for some parents. I can’t tell you how much I know it means to the kids.”

There is no cost for the meals and no need to enroll. Children simply need to show up during the allotted time and they will receive a meal. The full menu for this summer’s breakfasts and lunches can be found here.