Maine School Administration District 6, which covers the towns of Standish, Hollis, Buxton, Limington, and Frye Island, started its summer food program on June 25.

School Nutrition Director Erin Miller told Lakes Region Now that, while the district has been part of the Summer Food Service program for a number of years, the way the program operates has changed, going from a congregate site to a non-congregate site. In the past, the school required families to eat breakfast and lunch on-site. As of this year, parents and guardians are allowed to simply come to the school and pick up to-go meals for their children.

According to Miller, this was because the Department of Agriculture, which runs the Summer Food Service federally, has changed its criteria for being able to operate sites. The USDA website gives further details on the changes, which came about as part of the 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act (PL 117-328), and allow for non-congregate meals in certain rural districts, including rural “pockets” within metropolitan statistical areas. MSAD 6 covers towns in Cumberland and York counties, which are recognized by the federal government as part of the Portland-South Portland MSA.

The district could qualify for the program either through census data or school data on free and reduced meal applications, Miller said. There is a tool called the Area Eligibility Mapper that uses census tracts and blocks to determine how many children in a particular geographical area would qualify for free and reduced meals based on information reported in the census, she said. While the census block where Bonny Eagle High School is located qualifies, with more than 50% of children in the area being eligible for free and reduced meals, none of the other schools in MSAD 6 do. Within the wider Lakes Region, the only other areas that qualify for the program are parts of Bridgton and Casco.

Although the program operates out of Bonny Eagle High School, it is considered an open site and not necessarily limited to children from the district or who are enrolled at the school. Miller estimated that the majority of the children enrolled in the program were not enrolled at Bonny Eagle. As the program started up in its current form for the first time, she said it has had at least 225 kids sign up, and the fact that Bonny Eagle is able to operate as a non-congregate site allows more families access to the program.

The MSAD 6 summer food program will operate from June 25 until Aug. 15. Participants can pick up food at Bonny Eagle High School on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 8 to 10 a.m. All meals are available free of charge to children ages 18 and younger.