Food insecurity is an issue which is often not seen or heard readily, but remains one affecting students and their families in the Warren County area.

A poll conducted by Vanderbilt Center for Child Health Policy asked 1,000 Tennessee parents questions about food security — the ability to acquire food — and revealed over 40% of participants reported varying degrees of food insecurity, or the inability to maintain food supply consistently. The majority of families polled said they continued to change food spending habits due to the climbing cost of living.

This disparity in food access is addressed during the school year by providing students with breakfast, lunch and sometimes take-home meals and fuel packs over extended weekends and breaks, but the summer is a vast period of time for food-insecure students to be without consistent meals. To address this, Warren County Schools is partnering with East Tennessee Human Resource Agency to bring back its free summer meals made available to all children under the age of 18.

Free meals are provided through June and July and each pick-up includes seven days worth of meals. Although sign-ups to participate have closed, the program accepted any child under the age of 18 with no income requirement. Meals are picked up from one of two locations on Thursdays: West Elementary School through June and July or Warren County Middle School for the month of June only.

This initiative is one of several ways the school system ensures children in the community, students included, are fed. Students who are attending summer school or on-site programs will receive daily meals and are not eligible for the weekly pick-up packs, however.

Questions can be directed to School Nutrition Director Terri Mullican at mullicant1@warrenschools.com or School Nutrition Field Supervisor Michelle Rackley at rackleym@warrenschools.com.