As two lines of keiki formed Friday, a countdown commenced for lunch time, which at Salt Lake Elementary School’s Summer Learning Hub program runs from 11 to 11:30 a.m.
It is one of 20 meal site locations across Oʻahu and Kauaʻi, where keiki ages 18 and under can enjoy free meals on weekdays, as part of the Hawaiʻi Foodbank’s SUN Meals program, which is primarily funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“This is our third year of this program, and our first year serving breakfast. It’s been very positive,” said Lori Sumajit, Salt Lake Elementary curriculum coordinator, told Aloha State Daily.
“As a Title I school, we qualify for the program and the funding that makes the meals free for families. We supplement remaining costs with the school’s budget,” she said, adding that about 20 teachers and support staff are needed to operate its Summer Learning Hub program, which offers academic remediation, specialized support and enrichment classes now until July 8.
Sumajit, who lives nearby in Moanalua Valley, said there are about 95 students enrolled in summer school and 25 students in its extended school year program, filling 120 slots for free meals in total. The regular school year enrollment has about 646 students, she noted.
When asked where the remaining amount of annually enrolled students spend their summer, Sumajit said likely at the city-operated Summer Fun and Parents and Children Together’s Head Start program, both of which offer snacks and meals, and operate near the school. Not to mention, various sport and summer camps, among travel and other activities, she added.
Laura Zysman, Hawaiʻi Foodbank director of keiki nutrition, said that the state Department of Education’s Hawaiʻi Child Nutrition Programs track and manage who is eating where across various schools, child care and community centers, and more.
Zyman curates the menus and meals across the SUN Meals sites, which are purchased and packaged from PepsiCo’s social enterprise, Food for Good. On the menu Friday was barbecue chicken nuggets, which the keiki were enjoying and asking for seconds.
“The meals are shelf-stable, kind of like a kit versus hot food, which the schools like,” she told ASD. “We save the extras, and by the end of summer, give out the leftovers to kids, especially since this program is about three weeks long. Other sites run all the way through the summer.”
No registration is required for the SUN Meals program, though, each site’s schedule and capacity may differ. Salt Lake Elementary School, for example, only serves a portion of its students, and continue to invite keiki to join.
Zysman also oversees the Hawaiʻi Foodbank’s Kaukau 4 Keiki program, which allows parents and guardians of certain ZIP codes (96706, 96707, 96712, 96717, 96731, 96744, 96786, 96791, 96795, or 96797), to pick up meal boxes of a weeks-worth of groceries for each child. Parents must register in advance here.
Hawaiʻi Foodbank President and CEO Amy Miller told ASD in late May that volunteers help support its summer programs.
“We can never do what we do without volunteers,” Miller said. “If you can’t volunteer, consider donating at our website, sharing our stories, and spreading the word.”
She noted that these efforts serve thousands of keiki and their ʻohana.
This year marks Salt Lake Elementary School’s 55th anniversary, which was recently celebrated with community on May Day.
New principal Ranadall Galeon is looking forward to welcoming students back in the fall, especially as capital improvements on the school’s foundation and older buildings are underway.
A focus for him is to help both students and staff “reconnect to the place we live and work.”
One way he hopes to inspire his team is by having an off-site first day meeting. “We’re going to visit Honolulu Country Club and Moanalua Gardens,” he told ASD. “Connecting to this place, Salt Lake, or Āliapa‘akai, will create a sense of belonging.”
Fitting for Aloha Friday, the staff all matched in their palaka blue school shirts with a kukui nut design.
“The shirts were a big step in team identity,” Sumajit said.
“Kukui, or candlelight tree, represents a torch or light, Galeon said. “The palaka pattern weaves our past into the future.”
When asked about the significance SUN Meals at Salt Lake Elementary, he added, “It’s an opportunity where they students don’t have to worry about where their next meal is coming from. We are fortunate this community can benefit from it."
Parents are appreciative that both breakfast and lunch are provided during the school’s summer programs, according to Sumajit.
“We start that service at 7:30 a.m., which positively impacts attendance. It’s a nice way to start the day, and gives the kids energy,” she said. “They love the sugar-free cereal. I love that it’s balanced, which is better for the whole care of the child.”
Salt Lake Elementary School’s health aide is also back on campus to assist families whose keiki have food allergies or preferences. Zysman adds that with enough lead up time, Hawaiʻi Foodbank can also accommodate keiki with food allergies.
Community partnerships are crucial to the coordination of these programs, per Hawaiʻi Foodbank.
One convener is Hawaiʻi Children’s Action Network.
HCAN’s Anti-Hunger Advocate Diane Tabangay told ASD by email, “HCAN is committed to ensuring keiki have access to nutritious meals especially when school is out.
“We promote and support participation in USDA’s Child Nutrition Programs for the needed resources, working with key stakeholders such as parks, schools, and community organizations,” she said, adding that the “hope [is] that families will see that access to summer meals is made possible by the hard work and dedicated efforts of many community partners such as the Hawaiʻi Food Bank and the Hawaiʻi DOE. We work as a community of summer feeding stakeholders to serve our community of children and families.”
The overall goal, she says, “is to ensure access to meals continues and that we are able to expand our reach to serve more throughout all Islands.”
For more information, visit HawaiiFoodbank.org, or call 808-836-3600. Find more keiki meal sites here.
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Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros can be reached at kelsey@alohastatedaily.com.
