Montgomery County Opens Its First Free "Open" Summer Lunch Program at Georgian Forest Elementary School

Montgomery County Councilmember Valerie Ervin, Council President Mike Knapp, County Executive Ike Leggett, School Board Vice President Shirley Brandman and Superintendent of Schools Jerry D. Weast on Monday, June 30, at Noon, will join students for lunch at Georgian Forest Elementary School in Silver Spring and provide details on the County's first free "open" lunch site designed to increase the number of children who receive lunch during the summer.
 
Georgian Forest Elementary, located at 3100 Regina Drive in the John F. Kennedy High School Cluster, was chosen as the County's first free lunch site based on research compiled by the Kennedy Cluster Project team, which identified that children's access to food and transportation were significant barriers towards improving academic achievement. 
 
Twenty six percent of Montgomery County Public Schools students qualify for FARMS (free and reduced meals), an indicator for poverty.  "During the school year many of these students receive both breakfast and lunch on a free or reduced basis," said Councilmember Ervin, who serves as chair of the County Council's Education Committee and represents District 5, which includes Kensington, Silver Spring, Takoma Park and Wheaton.  "However, children who are in free and reduced meal programs often struggle during the summer months because they have no safety net. Study after study shows that students perform better when they receive adequate nutrition."
 
MCPS Food and Nutrition Services provides summer lunches for students enrolled in summer programs throughout the County. However, it has never previously had an "open site," where any student-even those not attending a summer program-could go for a free lunch. 
 
The County's first free "open" lunch site is operating at Georgian Forest Elementary weekdays from June 16 until Aug. 15, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.  Any student (age 18 and under) who attends John F. Kennedy High School, Argyle Middle School and Georgian Forest, Strathmore and Bel Pre elementary schools is eligible to attend. Students are required to eat in the school's cafeteria. 
 
The County and MCPS also have partnered to increase accessibility by providing two transportation options.  A "lunch circulator" bus will pick up children at eight neighborhood locations, starting at 10:30 a.m., and will run every 30 minutes until 1 p.m.  Also Ride On and Metro buses will provide free bus tokens to students who wish to take the bus to Georgian Forest Elementary.  Tokens can be picked up any of the five participating schools. 
 
There are approximately 3,500 students in the Kennedy Cluster of schools.  The cluster is heavily impacted by poverty and about 50 percent of its students qualify for free and reduced meals.  The Kennedy Cluster Project is a joint effort between MCPS and Montgomery County Government aimed at creating a services model for African American students that will improve school performance by breaking down institutional barriers, reducing educational and social disparities and addressing issues associated with the impact of poverty.
 
"Through our collaborative efforts on the Kennedy Cluster Project, County Government and Montgomery County Public Schools have been able to identify a problem that affects student achievement and develop a solution that will benefit some of the County's neediest children," said Councilmember Ervin.