Cartersville schools employee Pam Mansfield helps college-age workers post flyers at a local apartment complex informing tenants of the USDA Summer Feeding Program. The young adults will be responsible for loading and unloading the meals during the week.
MARK ANDREWS/The Daily Tribune News
"We [usually] serve between 5,000 and 6,000 meals a day," said Nutrition Director Tracey Morris.
The meals will be served on a school bus that travels along regular school bus routes with a van supplying the meals to harder-to-reach areas in the county.
Stops include the Brook Drive area, Erwin Street area, Cartersville Village Shopping Center, Governors Court, Massell Drive, Hannon Way, Morgan Square and the Atco area as well as Amberwood Apartments, Hometowne, Mountain Chase, The Oasis, Oakwood Apartments, Trestle Court, Oakdale Apartments, Dellinger Park-Pool, North Town Park, Alexandria Apartments, Cartersville Gardens, Etowah Village, The Hannah, Alexander Chapel United Methodist Church and Douglas Street United Methodist Church.
Churches also serve as a center-point for food drop offs.
"Many churches take up [the Summer Feeding program] as a mission and they find where the kids are and take the food to the kids," Morris said.
There is no income requirement and the program is open to all students 18 and younger. Older students with disabilities also will be served.
The need for such a program has required Cartersville Primary School's entire cafeteria to be used as a storage place. Morris said the program has been growing since it began seven years ago.
"It kind of exploded three years ago," Morris said. "We are able to do this program because every school [besides Woodland High School] in Bartow County and Cartersville City is above 50 percent free or reduced lunch. ... I've been here for 20 years and when I started it was 6 percent."
Read The Daily Tribune News for any updates on the program or routes.