Stressing the importance of offering nutritious meals to children during the summer months, Taher/Merrill Area Public Schools announces they will sponsor the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) locally.
The SFSP, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and is administered by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, provides nutritious meals to children during the summer, when free and reduced-price school meals are typically unavailable. Free meals will be made available to children 18 years of age and under. Persons over 18 years of age who are determined by a state or local public educational agency to be mentally or physically disabled and who also participate in a public or private non-profit school program during the regular school year may receive free meals as well.
The following locations in Merrill will be serving the free meals this summer: Kate Goodrich Elementary School and Merrill High School, with breakfast served from 7:00 a.m. to 7:45 a.m. and lunch served from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Meals are provided to eligible children regardless of race, color, national origin, age, gender, or disability, and there will be no discrimination in the course of meal service.
“This program fills a void created when school lunches are not available,” said Laura Krause Zastrow of Taher. “Helping parents meet the nutritional needs of their children is the strength of this program.”