LOW MOOR — Alleghany Highlands Public Schools will provide free meals to children during the months of June and July at designated locations in the Alleghany Highlands.
The meals will be provided to persons 18 and under on a first-come, first-serve basis at the distribution sites. Due to the popularity of the program, AHPS is adding several convenient locations this year to better serve the public.
AHPS relies on staff and volunteers to provide children with summer feeding options. AHPS is expanding its meals program this summer after conducting a survey to gauge interest levels among families, staff, and volunteers. Both the availability of staff and volunteers and community input influenced the selection of distribution locations.
“Summer break is an exciting time for kids, but we also know that summer is a critical time for their health and well-being. That is why we are excited to once again partner with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and its Summer Meals Program. This partnership enables us to give children access to nutritious foods and beverages. Families in our community are very grateful to our school division for providing this service,” said Debra Buckner, supervisor of child nutrition for AHPS.
This year, Jeter-Watson Elementary School in Covington will serve as a hybrid site, meaning that children will be permitted to eat breakfast and lunch at the school Monday through Thursday, with meal packets also available for pick up on Thursdays. Other sites will be utilized to allow families to pick up meals and take them home. The pick-up sites will be located at Mountain View Elementary School, the Selma Volunteer Fire Department, Victory Baptist Church in Clifton Forge, Sharon Elementary School, Callaghan Elementary School, the Falling Spring Fire Department, the Boiling Springs Fire Department, and Covington Middle School.
Parents or guardians must be accompanied by the children when receiving a meal from pick-up locations. AHPS is requiring children to be present to adhere to federal program requirements.
The schedule for each designated summer meal site is as follows. Please note that Wednesday pickups the week of June 17 will be made on Thursday, June 20. June 19 is the Juneteenth holiday, and no meals will be available the week of July 4.
— Jeter Watson Elementary, Monday through Thursday, June 17-July 18, breakfast 8 to 9 a.m.; lunch 11a.m. to noon. Three-day meal packets will be distributed at JWES every Thursday from 11 a.m. to noon. The site will be closed June 19 and July 1-4.
— Mountain View Elementary, Tuesday pick up, June 18, June 25, July 9, July 16, July 23, July 30; 8 to 8:30 a.m.
— Selma Fire Department, Tuesday pick up, June 18, June 25, July 9, July 16, July 23, July 30; 9 to 9:30 a.m.
— Victory Baptist Church, Tuesday pick up, June 18, June 25, July 9, July 16, July 23, July 30; 9:45 to 10:45 a.m.
— Sharon Elementary, Tuesday pick up, June 18, June 25, July 9, July 16, July 23, July 30; 11 to 11:30 a.m.
— Falling Spring Firehouse, Wednesday pick up, June 20, June 26, July 10, July 17, July 24, July 31; 9 to 9:30 a.m.
— Callaghan Elementary, June 20, June 26, July 10, July 17, July 24, July 31; 10 to 10:30 a.m.
— Boiling Springs Firehouse, June 20, June 26, July 10, July 17, July 24, July 31; 11 to 11:30 a.m.
— Covington Middle School, June 20, June 26, July 10, July 17, July 24, July 31; noon to 12:30 p.m.
At any point, families can text "Food" to 304-304 to receive more information about summer meals.
“We encourage every interested family in our community to access summer meals,” said Kim Halterman and Melinda Snead-Johnson, leaders of AHPS. There are no paperwork or income requirements to pick up food.
Children requiring special dietary accommodations will need to provide Alleghany Highlands Public Schools with a medical statement completed by a medical provider. Please contact Debra Buckner at 540-863-1800 or [email protected] to receive additional information pertaining to this requirement.
In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.
Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.
To file a program discrimination complaint, a complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR%20P-Complaint-Form- 0508-0002-508-11-28-17.
The form can also be obtained by fax, email, or U.S. Mail from any USDA office by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation.
The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:
— Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410.
— Fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442.
— Email: [email protected].
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
The Alleghany Highlands Public Schools Division was created on July 1, 2023, through the merger of Alleghany County Public Schools, Covington City Public Schools, and Jackson River Technical Center. The school division is jointly funded by Alleghany County and the City of Covington.
AHPS news and updates are regularly posted on Facebook at AHPublicSchools, and the division website www.ahps.k12.va.us.
Addition June 24, 2024: The Alleghany Highlands YMCA has been approved as a distribution site. Children can pick up breakfast-lunch packets daily Monday - Thursday from 8am-9am onsite.