By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – Various elementary schools across St. John the Baptist and St. Charles parishes have begun serving free meals to students ages 18 and under as part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s summer food service program.

No registration is needed for participation in the program, and it is open to all residents of both parishes. The meals are provided Mondays through Thursdays through July 12.

St. John Parish spokesperson Paige Braud said the parish has operated a free feeding program for children under 18 and adults with special needs for the past 23 years. She said the program is open to any child residing in St. John Parish. The program also serves children participating in local summer camp programs.

“School buses go down the major streets in the parish to pick up kids and bring them to the nearest participating location,” Braud said. “Last year by this time, the program had served more than 37,000 meals.”

The meals are available from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at six locations across the parish, including Lake Pontchartrain Elementary, 3328 U.S. 51, LaPlace; New Wine Christian Fellowship Center, 2003 W. Airline Highway, LaPlace; East St. John Elementary, 400 Ory Drive, LaPlace; Fifth Ward Elementary, 158 Panther Drive, Reserve; Garyville/Mt. Airy Math and Science Magnet, 240 Louisiana Highway 54, Garyville; and West St. John Elementary, 2555 Louisiana Highway 18, Edgard.

Garyville/Mt. Airy and New Wine will also be serving breakfast from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. For more information about the program in St. John Parish, call 985-536-4955.

In St. Charles Parish, the summer feeding program is entering its 22nd year. The St. Charles Parish Department of Community Services and the state Department of Education sponsor the program. The St. Charles Parish School System and Sheriff’s Office serve as project partners. The program uses school buses for free transportation to locations.

The meals in St. Charles are available from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at St. Rose Elementary School, 230 Pirate Drive, St. Rose; Luling Elementary School, 904 Sugarhouse Road, Luling; and E.J. Landry Alternative School, 108 Tiger Circle, Hahnville. For more information, call 985-764-7944. �