Westfield Public Schools’ summer meal program for kids impacted by supply chain, inflation

WESTFIELD, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) -School is out for summer but with that comes new challenges. with inflation and ongoing supply chain issues, the need for meal assistance is greater than ever for many families.

Summertime is usually filled with fun in the sun for local kids but that can be challenging on an empty stomach.

Food insecurity right now is a real big issue with every family seems to be affecting all families here in Westfield, wanna make sure that every family has access to food,” said Rachel Kania, food service director for Westfield Public Schools.

When Western Mass News last spoke with Kania, she told us supply chain issues impacted the school menus this past academic year. Now she said that with inflation, the struggle continues.

“It just seems to be getting worse with the supply chain, breakfast items are a huge hit for us, a lot of the manufacturers are having a tough time producing them...In some cases they’ve almost doubled in price and when you order it it’s not guaranteed that you’ll get what you ordered, unfortunately, we’re doing a lot of substitutions,” said Kania.

She told Western Mass News that they are continuing to keep students fed with their summer meal program in Westfield.

We’re told they have three drive-through sites, at the middle school, franklin avenue school and Westfield Technical Academy.

Monday through Friday, students can receive a full lunch and breakfast for the following day. The menu includes school staples like mac and cheese and mini corn dogs.

Kania told us they set it up this way to make it easy for all Westfield families to have access to food.

“You can drive up with or without your kids no id required and let us know how many meals you need,” said Kania.

More information about the Westfield summer meals program can be found below:

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