For area kids, there is such a thing as a free lunch.
Through the Boys and Girls Club of Moody County, any youth up to age 18 can eat free at breakfast and lunch at the club’s facility near the Flandreau school.
“It’s open to everybody. I think as many kids as we can get through the door as possible would be out goal,” said Erinn Osborne, director of marketing.
On average, the agency has started out serving about 30 breakfast meals and 70 lunches, said Emily Sass, program assistant from Brookings.
It’s important during summer months when children are out of school that they are able to have breakfast and lunch, something that is offered at school, she said. “We know that there is a need for the youth in the community to have a nutritious breakfast and lunch. It’s just a great opportunity for us to provide that for kids in the community.”
The meals are possible because of a grant from the South Dakota Department of Education. The Boys and Girls Club is reimbursed for each meal it serves. To qualify, the lunch has to include foods from specific food groups, including protein, and milk, for a balanced meal.
This is the fourth year the agency has offered the program in Flandreau. Interest keeps growing. “Our numbers increase every year,” Sass said.
While many of those who eat also attend programs at the club, young people don’t have to stay for activities. However, anyone is welcome to attend the club for $1 a day or a $25 a day annual membership, she said. The Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe also brings youth over from its center for meals.
Meals are cooked on site and served by staff.
While the menu rotates, breakfast may include cereal, yogurt or eggs, for example. Lunches meet the program’s nutritional requirements, too, and are also kid approved. “We do chicken strips, grilled cheese and spaghetti, things the kids have told us they like,” Sass said.
