Vicksburg Warren School District adds third site for Summer Feeding Program

Published 10:30 am Thursday, May 5, 2022

: Dozens of area children enjoy lunch in 2019 at Beechwood Elementary School, part of the Vicksburg Warren School District’s annual summer meal program. (Courtland Wells | The Vicksburg Post)

Since 2015, the Vicksburg Warren School District has been offering free meals to children during the summer months through its Summer Feeding Program.

These meals, made possible through the USDA’s National School Lunch and School Breakfast Program, were provided at designated public schools in the community.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the summer meals continued, but instead of children receiving meals at these locations, meals were delivered by buses.

Now, with the return of normalcy, the Summer Feeding Program will resume at designated sites. This year, the VWSD has added a third location.

In addition to meals being offered at Dana Road Elementary School and Sherman Avenue Elementary School, the Vicksburg Warren School District’s Child Nutrition Office announced the Academy of Innovation, located at 1650 Rosa A. Temple Drive, will also be a Summer Feeding Program site.

“We are trying to get back to a central location in town. In the past, I had used one of the junior high schools or Vicksburg High School,” said VWSD Child Nutrition Director Laura Bounds.

Therefore, in trying to provide a centrally located site, Bounds said, AOI was chosen.

“AOI has several camps going on and it’s a new facility and it’s centrally located, so more of the local community members can walk in if they wanted to,” Bounds said.

Meals provided by the Summer Feeding Program are available to any child in the community who is 18 years old or younger.

“So, if you had children and their cousins came to visit for a week, those children could eat,” Bounds said.

Meals must be consumed at the school facilities.

“We are no longer doing a pickup or delivery by bus,” she said. “The children have to eat in the cafeterias at the school. They cannot take it off the grounds.”

Breakfast and lunch meals will be available Mondays through Fridays from June 6 until July 15 at all three schools.

Breakfast will be served from 8 to 9 a.m. and lunch will be served from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the cafeterias. There will be no meals served on July 4, and any changes to this plan will be posted on the district’s website at www.vwsd.org/childnutrition.

About Terri Cowart Frazier

Terri Frazier was born in Cleveland. Shortly afterward, the family moved to Vicksburg. She is a part-time reporter at The Vicksburg Post and is the editor of the Vicksburg Living Magazine, which has been awarded First Place by the Mississippi Press Association. She has also been the recipient of a First Place award in the MPA’s Better Newspaper Contest’s editorial division for the “Best Feature Story.”

Terri graduated from Warren Central High School and Mississippi State University where she received a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations.

Prior to coming to work at The Post a little more than 10 years ago, she did some freelancing at the Jackson Free Press. But for most of her life, she enjoyed being a full-time stay at home mom.

Terri is a member of the Crawford Street United Methodist Church. She is a lifetime member of the Vicksburg Junior Auxiliary and is a past member of the Sampler Antique Club and Town and Country Garden Club. She is married to Dr. Walter Frazier.

“From staying informed with local governmental issues to hearing the stories of its people, a hometown newspaper is vital to a community. I have felt privileged to be part of a dedicated team at The Post throughout my tenure and hope that with theirs and with local support, I will be able to continue to grow and hone in on my skills as I help share the stories in Vicksburg. When asked what I like most about my job, my answer is always ‘the people.’

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