During last Tuesday night’s School Committee meeting, Superintendent Dr. Josh Vadala shared that the “Summer Foods Program, this year, was very successful.”
Peabody saw a 567% increase in the total meals served during the Summer Foods Program, which is in its third year of offering food five days/week.
During 2023, the only meal available to serve was lunch. That July, 858 lunches were served, and that August, 1,068 lunches were served, totaling 1,926 lunches served during the summer of ‘23.
In 2024, lunch was once again the sole meal served. That July, there were 3,067 lunches served, and that August, there were 2,114 lunches served, totaling 5,181 lunches served during the summer of ’24 – and showcasing a 269% increase.
This summer, breakfast was also served in addition to lunch. This past July, 1,972 breakfasts and 5,323 lunches were served; and this past August, 888 breakfasts and 2,735 lunches were served, totaling 10,918 meals served – and showcasing a 567% increase.
“This program is so critical to food insecurity and so critical to getting kids meals,” Vadala said.
School Committee member Beverley Griffin Dunne said she was “very, very happy to see these percentages and how much they rose each month.”
School Committee member Jarrod Hochman said, “I couldn’t be happier – not only that we’re taking responsibility of our students year round, but now we’re realizing the reward of that work.”
Hochman added, “This is, for some kids, the only meal they eat in a day, and for us to not only realize that, but do something about it is not just the right thing to do but commendable.”
