By Ginny Cooper McCarley / Special to the Reporter

ALABASTER-The summer feeding program is in full swing at Meadow View Elementary School, serving up to 350 people a day, according to Alabaster City Schools Child Nutrition Program Director Heather McDermott.

“It’s going great,” McDermott said. “We’re doing very good and we’re very excited. We’ve had lots of participation.”

The program, which runs through July 17, offers breakfast each weekday from 7-8:30 a.m., and lunch from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Both breakfast and lunch are open to anyone in the community, and free for children under 18. For those older than 18, breakfast is available for $2 per person and lunch is available for $4 per person.

“Our mission is to make sure every child doesn’t go without a meal, and the summer can be really hard for some families,” McDermott said. “We just make sure to bridge that gap, so that no kid goes hungry.”

The cafeteria was teeming with both kids and adults standing in line for corn dogs and tater tots on Monday, June 15. Many school camps take advantage of the program, such as the ACS summer camps and the Thompson High School football and wrestling teams.

“I like (the summer lunches),” said Creekview camp counselor Christine Martin. “I enjoy being able to eat lunch with the children and them seem to like it too.”

The program is paid for in full through federal U.S. Department of Agriculture funds. The menu varies each day, with options such as chicken biscuits, french toast sticks, muffins and yogurt for breakfast and fajitas, chicken nuggets and hotdogs for lunch.

“Every time I go over there, people come up to me and let me know how much they appreciate it,” McDermott said. “It’s really all about the kids.”