By Leanna Slack, Eisenhower High School
Summer feeding has been an important part of Lawton Public Schools for several years, helping ensure that children in the community have access to nutritious meals while school is out of session. In recent years the program expanded its services to provide both breakfast and lunch, making it even easier for families to access healthy food throughout the summer months.
The program is free and available to all children and teens under the age of 18, regardless of where they attend school. By offering balanced meals at designated locations across the district, Lawton Public Schools helps reduce food insecurity and supports students’ health and well-being when regular school meals are unavailable.
The summer feeding program not only provides nourishment but also gives families peace of mind, knowing their children have access to reliable meals during the break. Through this effort, Lawton Public Schools continues its commitment to serving and supporting the community beyond the classroom.
Felix Tyson, a cook for LPS, encourages families who have not yet participated in the program to take advantage of the opportunity.
“Every meal is free, and you are able to come to the school and eat,” Tyson said. He also believes that adding more signs throughout the community could help increase awareness of the program and make it easier for families to find participating locations.
Other public school systems around the state offer similar programs. Kristin Hollingsworth from Whittier Middle School in Norman has been teaching for 23 years and spoke about the importance of summer feeding programs.
“A lot of the students are used to getting breakfast and or lunch at school and in the summer time they don’t go to school. So having a program where they can still get breakfast and or lunch is really important, especially for the students whose parents work because they may be home alone and may not be able to use the stove. So being able to go to one of the local schools and eating in the cafeteria helps keep them fed and hydrated during the summer time,” Hollingsonworth said.
Lawtonps.org has the summer feeding sites listed that shows all the times and sites where summer feeding is available.
