Printer Friendly Version - Summer Breakfast and Lunch Programat Deep River Elementary School

Regional District 4 Food Services Director Thomas Peterlik is heading up a summer breakfast and lunch program at Deep River Elementary School that’s free for all under age 18. Photo courtesy of Thomas Peterlik

Regional School District 4 will be providing both breakfast and lunch at Deep River Elementary School on Monday through Thursday for all young people 18 and under, through Thursday, July 28. The meals will be free to all of those who fall within the age parameters

The dates for the meal program coincide with Deep River’s summer education session, Celebrate Learning, but the breakfasts and lunches are available to all youngsters, whether or not they are enrolled in Celebrate Learning. There is, in addition, no requirement that those attending the breakfast and lunch programs come from the Regional District 4 area. “This is available to any kid in the state of Connecticut, no matter where you live,” explained Thomas Peterlik, Director of Food Services for Regional District 4.

The funds for the meals come from several federal programs, including the National School Lunch Program, the School Breakfast Program, and the United States Department of Agriculture Summer Food Service. Peterlik calculated that in order to break even, the food service will have to provide about 50 meals a day. And to make sure that number is reached, the Deep River kitchen will also make meals for the site in Old Saybrook, at the Quinnetekut Chapel, 25 Old Boston Post Rd.

If the meal program realizes a profit, Peterlik said the money would be put toward buying a new refrigerator for the Deep River cafeteria. He explained that the cafeteria has a large freezer for frozen food and two small refrigerators. As school lunches now emphasize fresh food rather than prepackaged frozen ingredients, Deep River needs a different kind of storage space. “The refrigerators have now are too small for all the fresh ingredients,” Peterlik explained.

Volunteers from the Deep River Parks and Recreation department, the Region Four cafeteria staff, and students from Valley Regional High School are also helping staff the meal site at Deep River Elementary School. Peterlik, whose contract does not include the summer meal program, is also volunteering his time.

The Essex Community Fund (ECF) started the meal program last year with lunches served at the Veterans Memorial Hall in Centerbrook. Local churches provided volunteers to at the site. It was a challenging project for ECF , according to Jacqueline Doane, a past president of the organization. To insure that the meal program reaches as many children as possible, Regional District Four Superintendent Ruth Levy agreed to oversee it this year. Breakfast, which was not served last year, was also added. “We are so thankful that Ruth agreed to take this over. It was a huge undertaking last year and we knew we needed more help, and we wanted to make sure no child went hungry,” Doane said.

At Deep River Elementary School, breakfast will be served Monday to Thursday from 8:30 to 9 in the morning, and lunch from 11:30 until noon. The meals cannot be taken away, but must be eaten at the site.

All meals will come in the classic school lunch container: a brown paper bag. And all must comply with federal nutrition and calorie guidelines. Breakfast will include milk, a cup of fruit, yogurt and breakfast cereal or banana bread. Peterlik said the banana bread has proven to be a particularly popular item over the school year.

Lunches will include milk, fruit, and sandwich and chips. Chips, he admitted, do not provide particular nutritional value but they add the necessary calories to meet federal standards. Sandwiches will include old favorites like peanut butter and jelly, turkey, ham and cheese, as well as a new creation for which the Meriden school system won a national award: a crunchy Hawaiian wrap, that includes chicken, carrots, and pineapple chunks.

In a recent conversation, Peterlik admitted that a favorite childhood sandwich of days gone by, bologna on white bread with mayonnaise, would not meet the guidelines for lunch today. “Too much fat in the bologna and mayonnaise, and we can’t serve any sandwiches on white bread,” Peterlik explained.

Free breakfast and lunch for young people 18 and under, Monday through Thursday, June 27th through July 28th, at Deep River Elementary School.