It began with one food truck in 2016, serving three locations and providing 5,800 lunches the first summer of operation. Now the Summer Food Service Program – the brainchild of former Seaford School District Supervisor of Nutrition Services Patty Cunningham – provides free lunches to the children and teens of Seaford at nine different stops in the city, utilizing nine Fresh and Delicious (FAD) food trucks. Last summer, 11,217 lunches were served to kids aged 18 and under. Supervisor of Nutrition Services Julie Kirby finds it an honor to continue the mission begun seven years ago – and if she has her way, more locations will be included next summer.
“There are pockets of Seaford that we don’t serve yet, like the Woodside Manor area,” said Kirby, “but we’d like to be considerate of safety of those who come to the food truck.” She explained that many children walk to FAD food trucks, and finding an easily accessible place to park can be a challenge. This year they had to change a location to serve free lunch to the children at West Seaford; thanks to the city of Seaford, they have permission to park behind the pool.
The Fresh and Delicious food truck waiting to serve children 18 and under a free lunch at one of their nine stops: the Seaford Public Library. Photo by Rebecca Jones
Kirby noted that the first day of the program this year, over 400 lunches were provided to children of the city, in spite of the inclement weather which plagued the area the week of June 20. Those involved with the program are dedicated to help feed the children in the area every weekday until Aug. 4. Not only will children receive a variety of healthy foods, every Wednesday, they are served Papa John’s Pizza. Included with all meals are some kind of fruit, vegetable, as well as regular or chocolate milk.
In addition to lunch being served at one of nine locations throughout Seaford, free breakfast is offered at the Seaford High School cafeteria every weekday between 8 and 9 a.m. Seaford children aged 18 and under will not be turned away.
The Seaford School District works in conjunction with the Summer Food Service Program – a federally funded program operated nationally by the USDA and administered in Delaware by the Department of Education. There is no cost and no enrollment necessary for a child to participate in this program. “It fulfills a basic need of feeding the children of Seaford,” Kirby said. “We qualify to feed our kids year long, five days a week” during the regular school year and summer combined.
Kirby added, “It’s a great connection to the community. It’s nice to see the little ones come to the truck, and to watch them grow.” She said people employed in the school district many times work on the truck during the summer and they see the children as they come to school, some for the very first time for kindergarten. “That’s a comforting thing for the kids to see those people when school starts that they know from the summer and are familiar with,” she said.
To find out the menu, or to be a potential food stop location for next year, call 302-629-4587, or go to www.seafordbluejays.org. The FAD food trucks will be at the following locations at these times: 11-11:20 a.m. – Seaford Meadows Apartments; 11:10-11:30 a.m. – Dove Estates in Concord; 11:25-11:45 a.m. – Clarence Street Church of God; 11:40 a.m.-noon – Mobile Gardens; 11:50 a.m.-12:10 p.m. – Seaford Public Library; 12:10-12:30 p.m. – Blades Park; 12:20-12:40 p.m. – Meadowbridge Apartments; 12:35-12:55 p.m. – St. John’s UMC; 12:45-1:05 p.m. – Seaford Community Swim Center.
