Seamless Summer recognized in September BOE meeting
Uncategorized September 18, 2022
EAST ELLIJAY, Ga. – Fighting childhood hunger, the Seamless Summer program is a Nutrition Department program of the Board of Education looking to extend the school lunch program through June and July. This month, the Board of Education recognize the programs completion of its 2022 operations.
Patricia Partin, Director of School Nutrition, spoke in the September work session for the board, reporting this year saw 25,253 total meals served to just students during June and July. With 8,505 breakfasts in June and 4,221 breakfasts in July and 8,263 lunches in June and 4,264 lunches in July, the program has risen again to this summer as the program also opened a new site. Partin said that July’s numbers are smaller as they only served two weeks in July.
Serving through the Bobcat Cafe mobile site stationed on Dalton Street, Gilmer High School, Tower Road, Ellijay’s 1st United Methodist Church, the Boys & Girls Club, Mulberry Apartments, Gilmer Health Department, and the new location at Sunlight Baptist Church, these 25,000 meals joined volunteers and staff reaching out to students even when out of school. Partin said the eight locations served all new groups of students this year as they were able to work with there partners and move the Bobcat into a permanent location.
Additionally, staff and volunteers made week long STEM camps for the students as well.
Those volunteers were represented and recognized in the work session with thank you certificates from the school system. Partin said, “With countless hours of servant hearts, you could see all the happy, very satisfying, and sweet faces in the pictures.”
Working alongside these locations and their volunteers is what makes Seamless Summer possible. Partin went on to say, “It was truly a blessing to be part of the community, and what an amazing community we have.”
School Nutrition changes coming this summer
News May 22, 2022
EAST ELLIJAY, Ga. – Gilmer Schools will be seeing a major federal program end this summer for the Nutrition Department as many changes are beginning to show in the department. Not all will be in the federal space though as Seamless Summer will be kicking off on June 6 and lasting until July 22.
In addition to the news of the school nutrition department not getting a bid renewal from US Foods, current indications from the Federal Government have the school system preparing to also not continue the COVID outbreak response that allowed free lunches for all. Instead, it was stated this week that Gilmer Schools will likely return to the standard National School Lunch Program and Provision 2 for Breakfast.
This means that those applying for free and reduced lunches will need to refill those forms out for next year. The school system encouraged all parents to fill out those forms during the free meals for all as the state was still keeping track of them. Continuing in the same efforts, the Nutrition Department is returning to the same message as last year, encouraging all parents to fill out the free/reduced lunch forms. This year, they will be processed and return to normal operation of the program unless something changes over the summer.
Locations, times, and more information for the Gilmer Schools’ Seamless Summer program.
Schools are also preparing for the summer itself as a new location has been added to the Seamless Summer Program. With eight total locations this year, Seamless Summer sites include Gilmer High School, Tower Road, the Boys and Girls Club, the Gilmer County Health Department, Ellijay’s First United Methodist Church, Mulberry Apartments, Sunlight Baptist Church, and the Bobcat Café Mobile Site will run on Dalton Street. All sites will run lunch around noon with the specific site’s times listed in the photo to the right.
In addition to the Seamless Summer, the school system is adding a Summer STEM Camp Monday June 27 through Thursday June 30, 2022, at Ellijay Elementary School. The Stem Camp will also be running at each Seamless Summer Programs at different times throughout the program, but the June 27 Ellijay Elementary School location is open to all students between Kindergarten and 5th Grade. It will also operate longer as it goes daily from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
The school nutrition department could be seeing more changes in operations as they continue handling challenges with food distributors, but nothing was said about canceling the summer programs due to food. Instead, Director Partin encouraged students to visit the locations and said that these locations were strategically located, including the additional location, to maximize access for students in the county.
Gilmer Schools returns to free meals with USDA funding
News September 7, 2020
EAST ELLIJAY, Ga. – Gilmer County Charter Schools has stated today that they will begin offering free meals of both lunches and breakfasts to all students attending classes in person on Gilmer campuses.
According to their statement, “Effective Tuesday, September 8,2020 all Gilmer County Schools will begin serving free breakfast and lunch meals to all students attending in person classes.” This does not rely on applications or normal free and reduced lunches with the school’s normal program.
Gilmer Schools has operated for years in programs like “Seamless Summer,” pictured here, where they provide meals to students during the summer. Other programs like “Seamless Lunches” have branched off of the same idea due to needs arising, especially since the COVID-19 outbreak this year.
System administration said today that the USDA is the source of funding for lunches for the remainder of this semester only. Gilmer Schools has already moved to free breakfasts in the past in efforts to increase participation. They also provided lunches through bus routes in March, earlier this year, for students as a part of a “Seamless Lunches” program feeding kids during the school year. The school year was cut off due to COVID-19 outbreak. That program fed students as they adapted to classes at home and “distance learning” under quarantines as the outbreak first spread.
Today, the new program is set to continue free meals until December 31, 2020. The school system said, “This will allow the school nutrition program to serve nutritious meals to all students who attend in person classes, at no cost to families. Students who purchased a school lunch September 1-4, 2020 will be issued a credit on their meal accounts.”
The program ends over the break between semesters and usual meal prices will resume in January, 2021.
Administration said they “strongly encourage families to complete an application for free and reduced meals” before then.
Lunch price for elementary and middle school students is $2.15 and $2.30 for high school students. Reduced price lunches are $.40 for all grade levels.
Along with the information they gave, GCCS said, “We understand that these are trying times for everyone and are hoping this will relieve some of the financial hardship that is being felt by many in our community. If you have any questions, please contact the School Nutrition Office at (706) 276-5000.”
Seamless feeding set to transition to Seamless Summer in May
News April 29, 2020
EAST ELLIJAY, Ga. – Superintendent Dr. Shanna Downs took a few moments to correct some confusion among the community this week addressing the Seamless Feeding program.
The current bus routes and Seamless Feeding Program will continue through May 22, originally scheduled as the last day of school, according to Downs.
She went on to say, “After May 22, normally, post-planning, we do not do meals. However, given to the current situation, I’ve asked Ms. Waters to just immediately transition into the Summer Feeding Program.”
Also due to the current situation, this year’s summer program will be drastically different. Maintaining the social distancing orders, there will not be the same level of engagement possible as usual. Dr. Downs said that this year, volunteers will not be staying for hours as they have normally done activities like reading, coloring, or playing games among others.
This year, the program will only have four sites with the food coming from the Mountain View cafeteria. Those deliveries will occur very similar to how the feeding program is going now, bringing the meals and passing them out while maintaining distancing orders. They will then leave the sites shortly after. Downs said that while the program may have lasted from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. most days, these sites will likely be closer to 11:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
These sites will include Tower Road, Mulberry Street, the Gilmer Health Department, and Ellijay First United Methodist Church.
The school system is still concerned with finding volunteers to help and trying to fill gaps with some administrative staff where possible.
The program will see a gap on Memorial Day, but will continue on May 26 as normal.