WCPS offers free breakfast and lunch to Warren County students 18 and under

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) -Warren County Public Schools ‘Summer Feeding Program’ has returned and is offering free breakfast and lunch options through the summer to all kids and teens 18 years old and under.

Meals are offered at Cumberland Trace, Jennings Creek, Bristow, and Warren Elementary Schools and through the traveling School Bus Cafe. The traveling School Bus Cafe stops in three different communities around Warren County. The full schedule of dates, times, and locations is listed below.

• Natcher Elementary
  • June 20 - July 28, 8 a.m. - 8:45 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
• Jennings Creek Elementary
  • June 5 - June 30, 8 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
• Bristow Elementary
  • June 5 - June 30, 8 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
• Warren Elementary
  • June 5 - June 30, 8 a.m. - 8:45 a.m. and 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.

The School Bus Cafe also offers free, nutritious meals, and is available June 1 - July 28 at the following locations and times.

• Lee Pointe Condos
  • 10:15 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.
• Bryant Way Apartments
  • 11:15 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.
• Blue Lake Way
  • 12 p.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Kelly Holt, director of nutrition and dining services for Warren County Public Schools, says that during the summer, these services are more important than ever for area youth that rely on schools for their meals.

“Children need nutrition and even though they’re not in school, again, that need doesn’t end,” said Holt. “So, we’re glad that we’re able to go out and bring that nutrition to kids, but we’re really proud of the fact of how we try to meet all their nutritional needs because kids are running and playing and learning and doing all kinds of things during the summer. You have to have that energy and that nutrition to be able to do all of those things.”

At many of the bus stops, the schools also partner with THRIVE, a program in cooperation with Bowling Green Parks and Rec, and with the Warren County Public Library. These programs couple nutrition with recreation.

“We just provide additional services that the library offers. People often think the library is a place with books on a shelf that you go check out, but the library is a lot more than that. Our part is we come out and we play games with kids. The parks provide us with all kinds of equipment, so we play games and read books with the kids. We just try to interact with them,” said Eric Gilpin, Warren County Public Library summer outreach assistant.

Each day of the week offers its’ own menu, with each meal containing whole grains, fresh fruit, milk, and juice. The schools and the bus cafe will be open according to their schedule, with the exception of closures on July 3 and 4.

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