This Summer, Lunch Is On Us!

September 14th, 2015

While families enjoy the summer off of school, there are often still needs to met for children, particularly as it relates to nutrition and access to healthy meals. Enter WaveCrest Café, the Child Nutrition Services department of Vista Unified School District.

 

In partnership with the USDA, CNS will be serving free lunches to anyone under the age of eighteen at 15 locations in the Vista and Oceanside communities served by VUSD.

 

Lunches will be served not only inside the schools, but outside on the school lawns to create a more informal, fun and festive setting, with hopes of increasing turnout from the communities that need these services the most. “We want people to come out here with their families with their beach towels and picnic on the grass either at the schools or at the parks when we’re serving there, states Amy Haessly, the Registered Dietitian for Vista Unified Child Nutritional Services. “We want to reach communities where they are and make sure that kids are being fed,” says Haessly.

 

All meals will include an entrée, eight ounces of milk (one percent or nonfat chocolate), fresh fruit & vegetables. Finding kids where they are and reaching out to them in innovative ways is all part of the way Vista Child Nutritional Services is improving services this year.

 

A new partnership created with Karate Fitness Now, a Karate dojo in Vista, fits perfectly into that goal. The business approached Ms. Haessly and asked to become part of the feeding program due to the large number of children that they instruct everyday during the summer months. They also work with school campuses that offer day camps, as well as the Boys and Girls Club, which also attracts children that may be in need of a meal at lunchtime.

 

The program is meeting children at their home schools, or schools geographically close to them, where they play, where they exercise, and where they’re being provided day camps. These meals are packed with nutrition and follow the same nutritional guidelines as students’ lunches during the school year.

 

Getting the word out to communities is of paramount importance. “We’ll feed anyone (eighteen and under) who comes in!” enthuses Haessly. “This is an important safety net for kids who don’t have anything in the cupboard at home. If there’s no family there, the kids are on their own. The kids have better food than if they would have packed themselves something for lunch or gone to 7-11 with $2.”

 

So make a morning or an afternoon out of it! Picnic, enjoy a park, and help children get fed this summer. The following is a list of locations that are serving meals, as well as the dates and times. One extra note: none of the sites will be serving on July 3rd. Please spread the word and we’ll see you at lunch!

 

See attached flyer below for location and times.
summer menu flyer 2015 Eng.Span.6.25.15