The number of students who qualify for free and reduced meals in the Tahoma and Kent school districts is growing.
As a result summer lunch programs and food banks have seen a sharp rise in visitors at their facilities.
During the school year, a student who comes from a low-income family can receive free or reduced lunch, as well as breakfast, from their schools.
When school ends in June, however, the students and their families rely on summer feeding programs and food banks, depending on which city and school district they live in.
For students to receive free or reduced meals parents fill out an application. Eligibility is based on the total income of the household compared to the number of residents living in it. A family of four, for example, would be eligible if the total household income is $40,793.
TAHOMA SCHOOL DISTRICT
In the Tahoma School District, 15 percent of the 7,400 students qualify for free and reduced lunches. The percentage has seen a slow, but steady increase each year. In 2000, 8.1 percent of students qualified.
Currently, the Tahoma School District does not have a summer feeding program for students. The Maple Valley Food Bank, a non-profit organization, is where the majority of families can take their children to get food. Though it receives some grants, its revenue depends mostly on donations from local businesses, churches and the general United Way campaign.
The food bank does have certain restrictions. In addition to photo ID and proof of address, families have to live within the service area, which includes Maple Valley, Covington and Black Diamond.
Those who go to the food bank are required to register and are placed in a database. The food bank has an allotment for each type of food a family is guaranteed to receive, such as peanut butter, canned meals, milk, eggs and pasta.
According to Lila Henderson, executive director, 53 percent of those who come to the food bank are either children or seniors. Usually, they serve 90 to 110 families during distribution hours.
Henderson also explained in 2008 the food bank saw a 51 percent increase in families while 2010 had a 17 percent increase.
To meet the growing need, Henderson stated, they doubled the amount of food available for families during the summer. Last year, an additional 1,084 people received extra food. They also try to collect more child-friendly food.
This system works well for mothers like Miqua Corrigan, who lives by Lake Wilderness. Her 13-year-old son goes to Cedar River Middle School, where 17.5 percent of students qualify for free and reduced lunches.
Corrigan has come to the food bank year-round, usually once a month.
“They pretty much help us survive,” she said. “It carries me over when all of a sudden the fridge is empty.”
KENT SCHOOL DISTRICT
The Kent School District, on the other hand, has seen a dramatic rise in the number of students who qualify for free and reduced lunches.
In 2010, roughly 46 percent of the 27,000 students in the district qualified. According to Lynne Mayer, field manager for the Kent School District, it is just over 51 percent, a five percent increase in one year. Through funding from the Department of Agriculture, the school district has 36 different locations for their summer lunch in the months of June, July and August.
Because it is funded through the federal government, anyone 18 or younger is able to participate in the program and are not required to live in the school district.
Cedar Valley Elementary in Covington hosts one of the locations, where 59.3 percent of the students quality for free and reduced lunches.
The program is run by volunteers such as Amber Gonazles, who stated most of the children in the feeding program attend the school. The meals are prepackaged.
Because there are no income restrictions, the summer lunch program is also used by families like Tracey White’s. She has a daughter in the sixth grade who is enrolled in the Century 21 summer school program at Cedar Valley Elementary. The summer lunch programs, she said, is an ideal place for them to go.
“It’s really convenient,” she said. “It’s a great way to meet parents and other kids. The meals are really healthy, too.”
Another option for families with students is the Storehouse Food Bank, which is run by Covington Christian Fellowship.
By the numbers: free/reduced eligibility
As of May 2010, percentage of students receiving free or reduced lunches
TAHOMA SCHOOL DISTRICT
Shadow Lake Elementary: 25.1 percent
Rock Creek Elementary: 9.4 percent
Lake Wilderness Elementary: 23 percent
Glacier Park Elementary: 11.9 percent
Cedar River Middle School: 17.5 percent
Tahoma Junior High School: 13.4 percent
Tahoma Middle School: 9.7 percent
Tahoma Senior High: 10.7 percent
KENT SCHOOL DISTRICT
Jenkins Creek Elementary: 53.8 percent
Cedar Valley Elementary: 59.3 percent
Cedar Heights Junior High: 39 percent
Covington Elementary : 47.8 percent
Grass Lake Elementary: 24.8 percent
Sawyer Woods Elementary: 18 percent
Crestwood Elementary: 29.7 percent
Mattson Middle School: 33.3 percent
Kentwood High: 30.5 percent
Kentlake High: 30 percent
