CARIBOU, Maine — Hundreds of local youths are receiving free meals at the Caribou Middle School cafeteria this summer. Kitchen staff say Caribou has offered area children free breakfast and lunch for nearly 20 summers.
The school serves breakfast from 7:45 to 8:30 a.m. and lunch from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. every Monday through Thursday, from June 26 to July 20.
Funded within the RSU 39 budget, the meal program does not require names or forms; children under 18 only need to walk into Caribou Middle School to receive their meal. Due to federal regulations, they must eat their meals in the cafeteria.
Adults can purchase breakfast for $2 and breakfast for $4.
More than 100 area children visit the Caribou Middle School each day from Monday through Thursday to receive free breakfast and lunch, a tradition the school has upheld for roughly two decades. This year, children under 18 can stop by the school for a free breakfast at 7:45-8:30 a.m. and lunch 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. until July 20. (Christopher Bouchard)
Alisa Rector, kitchen manager at the middle school, said this is her first year doing the summer lunch program and that everything is “going great so far.”
“Kids come in from everywhere,” Rector said, “not just Caribou, but Limestone and Fort Fairfield. It’s amazing how many come in every day.”
Rector estimated that between 45 and 55 children eat breakfast and 70 to 80 get their lunches on a daily basis.
Local chefs offer up three choices each day, ranging from hamburgers, hot dogs, quesadillas, cheese sticks, pizza, and chicken nuggets, according to Rector.
“We provide fresh fruit and juice every morning,” Rector said, “and give them milk, dairy, and grains at lunch.”
Despite the relatively large daily turnout, Rector said there has never been a shortage, adding that “we always make sure we have enough prepared.”
