Lenoir County Schools to restart free summer meal program

KINSTON, N.C. (WITN) - Lenoir County Schools is going back to a summer meal program that was stopped during the Covid pandemic.

According to the school district, several schools will once again offer a full-scale free summer feeding program for the first time since 2019.

The school district says that breakfast and lunch for children and teens 18 and younger will be provided Monday through Thursday in cafeterias at South Lenoir, North Lenoir, and Kinston high schools beginning June 26th.

They said the program begins at all other sites – Southwood Elementary, Contentnea-Savannah K-8, Northwest Elementary, and EB Frink, Rochelle, and Woodington middle schools, on July 3rd.

All sites will be closed on July 4th for the Independence Day holiday.

In addition to children who get food at schools in their neighborhood, the program is also open to students enrolled in the district’s summer learning camps as well as to those attending summer camps offered by non-profits like Boys & Girls Club and Salvation Army, as well as the Kinston-Lenoir County Recreation Department.

Summer camps that wish to participate should contact Monica Willis of the LCPS Child Nutrition Department via email at mwillis@lenoir.k12.nc.us about times and locations.

The schedule released by the district is as follows: breakfast hours are 7:40-8:10 a.m. and lunch hours are 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Monday - Friday. The district also says that meals cannot be carried out.

The school district says that all meals will meet federal nutrition guidelines and are provided for free to anyone 18 years old and younger.