Summer meals program for children starts this week in FW

Meals will be made available at no charge to children 18 and under at the following sites from June 24 to Aug. 23 (except July 4).

June 21, 2013 6:31 pm
The school district's FRED bus will provide summer meals to local children starting June 24.
The school district's FRED bus will provide summer meals to local children starting June 24.

From staff reports:

The Des Moines Area Food Bank announced that it will be participating in the Simplified Summer Food Program for Children, and will provide food to seven sites in Federal Way. Meals will be made available at no charge to children 18 and under at the following sites from June 24 to Aug. 23 (except July 4):

• Boys and Girls Club, 30815 8th Ave. S. Breakfast runs 9:15-9:45 a.m., supper runs 4:15-4:45 p.m.

• EX3 Teen Center, 31453 28th Ave S, Lunch: 12:00-12:30

• Mariposa Apartments, 28120 18th Ave S, Breakfast: 10:15-10:30, Snacks 2:45-3:00

• Steel Lake Park, 2410 S 312th St, Lunch: 12:00-1:00, Snacks 3:45-4:15

• Villa Capri Apartments, 28261 25th Pl S, Lunch: 11:15-11:45

• Forest Cove, 31004 19th Pl SW, Lunch 1:30-2:00

• Redondo Beach (by the arch), Lunch: 11:30-12:30, Activities 12:00-2:00, Snack 2:00-2:30

The Des Moines Food Bank is open 9 a.m. to noon Monday, Wednesday and Friday and is located at the corner of S. 233rd St. and 9th Ave. S. Contact (206) 878-2660.

According to the food bank, two out of three students in local elementary schools qualify for the federal free and reduced meal program, and 1 in 5 children in South King County live in families that “often” or “sometimes” run out of food.

FRED in Federal Way

From June 24 through early August (except July 4), three big green buses with a friendly frog on the side will make the rounds throughout Federal Way. This is a joint effort between Federal Way Public Schools (FWPS) and United Way-King County (UWKC).

Named FRED by the district for Fun, Read, Eat, Dream, the three buses are part of the summer meals program FWPS has provided to all children ages 19 and under since 1989.

More than 56 percent of Federal Way Public Schools students qualify for free and reduced lunch.

FRED meal sites include:

• Cottonwood Apartments/Appian Way/Buena Casa, 10:15 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Monday through Thursday.

• Club Palisades Apartments, 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

• Parkway (Westway), 10:15 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Monday through Thursday.

• Camelot Square, 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

• View at the Lake, 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Monday through Thursday.

• Greystone Meadows, 11:20 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

• Cascade Ridge, 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday.