Winston County High School has free afternoon meals

DOUBLE SPRINGS - When extracurricular activities at school get in the way of food, some students will go hungry or eat non-nutritious food. Thanks to individuals at Winston County High School for seeing a need, a grant has been secured through the United States Department of Agriculture to remedy this situation. The meals are free of charge and consist of sandwiches, fruit, vegetables and milk. They are available from 3 to 3:30 p.m. to any child 18 and under, regardless if the child attends school there. Geared toward after school programs, younger or older siblings who are waiting, can get the meal too.
The program, titled At Risk After School Meals, began Monday, Feb. 3. Students’ names who get the meal are written down by the child nutrition program manager. It is not however a to-go meal, as the students must stay on campus while eating, preferably in the lunchroom.
“They don’t have to attend this school, they don’t have to be living in this county,” Dede Vickery, child nutrition program manager at WCHS, said. “The students that are here after school for any kind of sports, activities, tutoring or whatever, are allowed to come in here and get a meal for more nutrition, a little extra. It’s just for kids. A one-year-old or two-year-old can walk in with their parents and get a meal.”
Different types of food may be added if the program continues to grow, Vickery indicated.
“It’s something Coach Mark Mitchell had while at Piedmont and talked with (Danny) Springer to get it started here,” Vickery said. Springer is the administrative assistant at the Winston County Board of Education.
“We used it at Piedmont because we saw a need for our kids to have more food,” Mitchell said. “We started looking around, and our kids were not getting the nutrition they needed. We tried to find a way to get our kids, not just an athlete but any kid, fed. Dede and I have been working to get a program started here the two years I’ve been here. We finally got it. It will catch on and get bigger and better as we go.
“You’ll see a difference in our kids too. If they eat here, they’re not killing their parents when they get home. I see them, and I know they don’t eat. Some are eating but not enough. When you burn through the calories and don’t put them back...”
“We’re not saying you can’t afford this,” Vickery added. “We feed the band, football players. If the parents were picking up kids or dropping off kids, they could come in and get something for the other kids.”
Sonja Townsend, child nutrition administrative assistant with the board of education hopes the program will grow and branch out to the other county schools.
“We hope to expand to other schools, but right now, we’re doing a trial run at Winston County High School,” she said.
The USDA reimburses the schools for the meals. “When school is out and parents are still at work, children need a safe place to be with their friends, with structured activities and supportive adults,” a section of the Alabama State Department of Education website states. “After school programs that serve meals and snacks draw children and teenagers into constructive activities that are safe, fun and filled with opportunities for learning. The food gives them the nutrition they need to learn and grow.”