Berea celebrates summer meals with close-knit partnerships

BEREA, Ky. (FOX 56) — While summer is something a lot of students look forward to, it’s a much harder time for those who rely on school meals. A local homegrown organization and partners are working to serve the affected children.

Grow Appalachia, part of Berea College, is an organization that works to serve the region of Appalachia, and through that comes the chance for local children to get the food they need to thrive. Berea Kids Eat is an initiative of Grow Appalachia that also works with Berea College. Grow Appalachia executive director Candace Mullins was there for Wednesday’s fun in the parking lot of Glade’s Christian Church, where visitors not only got meals, but also had some summer fun.

“Berea Kids is an initiative of Grow Appalachia. We started this program in 2016, recognizing that there were not a lot of places in Berea for families to get access to meals for their kids during the summer,” Mullins said.

The program serves kids across Berea, but also adds educational value, where kids eat food and learn about it. River Hart is a big fan of this event.

 “I was a picky eater, but I learned to try new foods,” Hart said.

Hart, along with many others, is learning more about nutrition while also getting a look at the need these groups are filling. Lara Armstrong is the nutrition programs director for Grow Appalachia.

“We’re seeing higher numbers this year than we have in the past couple of years. So far, we’ve served 5,810 meals in the first 2 and a half weeks. We’re doing a multiple-day model, so on Tuesday, the kids get food from Tuesday to Friday. On Friday, the kids will get food to last from Friday until Tuesday,” Armstrong said.

In addition to this, the Farmer Development Program is also part of Grow Appalachia, and the goal of this program is to offer technical education and resources to local farms. Farmer development coordinator Chris Mckenzie said this is a great resource for farmers looking to recover from recent weather.

“The thing about being a farmer in Kentucky is we have this excellent network of resource providers, that are supported through the Kentucky AG Development Fund. We have tobacco, settlement dollars that come into the state every year. And half of that goes into health care, and half of that goes into agriculture,” Mckenzie said.

With help from local restaurants like Smitty’s Southern Style Barbecue and Berea College graduates wanting to make a difference, like Cora House, they’re not just growing food; they’re growing community.

“I live in Berea now, so it’s important to me that the kids, my neighbors, and my community members are also getting fed, and it excites me. I get home, and I feel like I understand a little bit more about Berea,” House said.

More information about Grow Appalachia, Berea Kids Eat, and Farmer Development – Grow Appalachia can be found on their websites.