Wichita district launches another year of free summer meals for kids

Two to three times a week during the summer, Wichita mom Stormie Shane takes her children to Linwood Elementary School for a free lunch.

“I’m a stay-at-home mom. My husband works. We have four kids who like to eat,” Shane said.

“This is nice because it’s healthy, and it gives them a little extra. And you can’t beat the price, that’s for sure.”

Kid Power Cafe, an annual summer food program, kicked off Tuesday at 31 sites around Wichita, including the Shanes’ neighborhood school at Harry and Hydraulic. Another 10 sites will launch programs later.

The program, run by the Wichita school district and paid for by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, offers free breakfast, lunch or afternoon snacks to any child under 18, regardless of income or eligibility.

“We have a lot of hungry children in Wichita,” said David Paul, director of nutrition services for the Wichita district. “And we want to get them some food.”

Paul, aka “Banana Man,” wore a bright yellow banana costume to Linwood on Tuesday to help kick off this summer’s food program. He was accompanied by district officials Darren Muci as “Carrot Man,” Shannon Benoit as “Grape Girl” and Fabian Armendariz as “Pea Pal.”

And the green-suited Bruce Wilson performed as Kid Power, a superhero who teaches students about the importance of eating healthy food.

Wilson sat down next to 10-year-old Jackson Smith, who attends Linwood’s summer latchkey program, and urged him to read the list of ingredients on a package of sliced apples that came with Tuesday’s lunch.

“Apples and, ummmm, calcium ascorbate?” Smith read slowly.

“What do you think that is?”

Smith shrugged, prompting Wilson to explain how calcium ascorbate is a chemical antioxidant that prevents sliced apples from turning brown.

Dozens of children who attended Tuesday’s lunch at Linwood got a packaged lunch that included a turkey or peanut butter and jelly sandwich, apples, broccoli, chips and a carton of milk.

They also got to sample pieces of fresh papaya, mango and sugar snap peas, courtesy of the district’s team of costumed characters.

“For this one, you don’t eat the skin,” Armenariz said as he passed pieces of papaya to 8-year-old Hagen Shane and his younger brother, Kyran. Neither boy had tasted the tropical fruit before.

Hagen took a small bite and winced a little, then shook his head and placed the remainder back on his plate. Kyran liked it. Both boys enjoyed the pieces of mango and snap peas.

To celebrate the launch of this year’s summer food program, the Wichita district will host special events at a different school each day:

▪ Wednesday: At Jackson Elementary, 2717 N. Woodlawn, each child will get an ice cream treat as part of lunch from 12:15 to 1 p.m. (Every Wednesday throughout the summer food program, Hiland Dairy will host an ice cream treat day at one meal site.)

▪ Thursday: At Griffith Elementary, 1802 S. Bluff, children will get a coloring activity and crayons with their lunch between 11:45 a.m. and 12:45 p.m.

▪ Friday: At Orchard Recreation Center, 4808 W. Ninth St., from noon to 12:45 p.m., each child will receive a raffle ticket and be entered to win prizes.

Throughout the summer, one Kid Power Cafe location will host a barbecue party once a week with grilled hot dogs, district officials said. The location of the party will be announced each week.

The program, which runs through July 28 at most sites, is open to all children younger than 18 but targets those who are eligible for free- or reduced-price lunches. About three-fourths of the 51,000 students who attend Wichita schools are eligible to receive free or reduced-price meals.

Adults attending with their children can buy lunch for $3.75, breakfast for $2 or a snack for $1.

This story was originally published May 31, 2016 at 3:41 PM with the headline "Wichita district launches another year of free summer meals for kids."