To celebrate the start of the Summer Feeding Program, Granite School District held a launch party on June 10 and invited families to participate in a free summer barbecue with games and prizes. 

West Valley City’s Centennial Park (5405 W. 3100 South) was the site for the kickoff, as hundreds of people showed up for hamburgers, hot dogs, baked beans, fruit, chips and more. The summer lunch program provides a free daily meal, Monday through Friday, for kids 18 and under, through Aug. 1.

“Our goal is simple: to make sure no child in our community goes hungry,” said Amy Pham, registered dietitian with Granite District Nutrition Services. “We’re proud of the impact this program has made over the years and look forward to another successful summer.”

Janalee Smith, Granite District Nutrition Services operations manager, said the summer program feeds 1,500 to 2,000 students every day and is designed to ease the burden on families during the summer months. While kids eat free, adults can purchase a lunch for $3.50. All meals must be eaten on site.

The celebration featured vendor booths from community partners, free Super Soakers to the first 60 kids and country music provided by Z104. Special guests included West Valley Fire officials, Granite Police with K9 Officer Bolt, West Valley Police officers, Girl Scouts of Utah and Wasatch Community Gardens.

“This is a big kickoff and we’re trying to give it a little more pizzazz,” Smith said. “But it’s representative of what we’ve got going throughout the district.”

The lunch program is available at 15 locations throughout the Granite School District. Along with Centennial Park, lunches are provided at Kearns Oquirrh Park (5624 S. 4800 West), Redwood Rec Center (3060 S. Redwood Road), Magna Rec Center (3252 S. 8400 West), Magna Copper Park (8900 W. 2600 South), West View Park (4100 S. 6000 West), Hillsdale Park (3725 S. 3200 West), Valley Regional Park (5100 S. 2700 West), Hunter Park (5905 W. 3500 South), Vista Park (5150 S. 1950 West), Southridge Park (5051 S. 4015 West), Robert Fitts Park (3050 S. 500 East), Lincoln Elementary (450 E. 3700 South), Fremont Elementary (4249 S. Atherton Drive) and Jackling Elementary (3760 S. Atlas Way). 

Draper resident Hilary Litton attended the barbecue event with her four children. “I think for any family it helps, especially those at a low income who can’t provide,” she said. “It’s good to get the kids out at a park, or wherever it’s located. I think it’s great for anyone.”

The Granite Summer Feeding Program has been running since 2012, serving more than 1 million meals to children during the summer. No lunches will be served on July 4 or July 24. For more information, including lunch times at each location, visit graniteschools.org/nutritionservices/seamless-summer. λ