Picayune School District will conduct the summer feeding program again this year.

Food Service Director Debbie Byrd said the program will operate much the same way as it did last summer by offering grab and go meals to children who are driven through a distribution point.

Each child in the vehicle will receive a bag with a breakfast and lunch item. On Fridays the child will receive food for three days, including both days over the weekend along with instructions for properly heating the food for Saturday and Sunday.

Byrd said the food items will consist of typical items usually served in the cafeteria, such as burritos, corn dog nuggets, chicken nuggets and pizza.

The summer feeding program will begin on June 1 and last until July 23. Meals will not be provided on July 5 due to the July 4 holiday. Meals can be picked up at Roseland Park Elementary, Nicholson Elementary and South Side Elementary each weekday from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Each child who needs a meal will need to be in the vehicle when picking up grab and go bags so the school district can keep an accurate number of children who receive them.

Byrd said she saw a significant increase in the number of children receiving meals last summer. 

During the 2018-2019 program 7,640 meals were distributed. During the 2019-2020 program, which was the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, 73,284 meals were distributed.