Vista Unified Kicks Off Summer Meals with Farm to Summer Week Celebration

June 19th, 2024

Vista Unified Kicks Off Summer Meals with Farm to Summer Week Celebration

Local foods featured in an effort to combat food insecurity

 

School may be out for summer in the communities served by the Vista Unified School District, but the need to feed hungry children continues. The district’s Summer Meals program kicked off Monday, June 10, and continues through August 9. Meals are available to all children 18 & under, with no forms or paperwork required.

 

The program, funded by the USDA, will offer meals at 6 sites across the Vista and Oceanside communities including the Boys & Girls Club of Vista. The locations for the program are:

 

SUMMER MEAL LOCATIONS & DATES
Alta Vista High School (June 10 – 28)
Breeze Hill Elementary (June 10 – August 9)
Maryland Elementary (July 15 – August 9)
Monte Vista Elementary (June 10 – August 9)
Vista High School (June 10 – August 9)
Boys & Girls Club of Vista (June 10 – August 9; meals are served as part of the Boys & Girls Club summer programming)

 

Click here to download the summer menu with a full list of locations, dates, and times.

 

Text Option To Find Locations
In addition to the posted information with locations, dates, times, and menus, anyone can text FOOD (English) or COMIDA (Spanish) to 304-304, to receive information on the closest locations.

 

Farm to Summer Taste Test table with fruits and veggiesAddressing Food Insecurity During The Summer
According to the USDA, just 1 out of 10 children who qualify for free or reduced meals during the school year eat a summer lunch. The summer meals program is a way to close that gap and provide nutrition to the communities and children served by schools.

“Our summer meals program is an integral and important service to fulfill our department’s mission,” says Karolyn Wasung, Director of Child Nutrition Services for Vista Unified School District.

 

 

Farm to Summer Week 2024
Vista Unified’s WaveCrest Cafe (the Child Nutrition Services department of the district) has long been a leader in the Farm to School movement. For nore than a decade WaveCrest Cafe has sourced local, California foods and conducted innovative nutrition education programs including collaborating with school gardens.

 

The week of June 17-21 is National Farm to Summer Week, a chance to showcase the locally sourced foods the district offers year-round. WaveCrest Cafe will be hosting special taste test parties at three of its summer locations (Breeze Hill, Monte Vista, and the Boys & Girls Club), with foods from local, California farms like Fallbrook’s Dickinson Family Farms.

 

The events are an engaging opportunity to teach students where their food comes from, and the benefits of eating local foods. Those benefits include increased nutrients in the food, better taste, a smaller environmental impact, and supporting local businesses.

 

 

 

SunBucks logoSun Bucks Program Provides Additional Funds For Children
The USDA is also promoting the Summer EBT (S-EBT)program called Sun Bucks, which provides $40 per child for the three summer months (June-July-August) for a total of $120 per child in food assistance.

 

The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has created the SUN Bucks web page, located at https://www.cdss.ca.gov/sun-bucks.  This web page provides households and the public with essential S-EBT information, including eligibility criteria, frequently asked questions and other resources.

 

For household questions, the CDSS has established a customer service hotline: (877) 328-9677.

 

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