Exhausted, but elated, Director of Food Services Penny Holt delivered a comprehensive and strong update during Thursday night’s Christian County Public Schools Board of Education meeting and workshop — noting remarkable growth in the district’s summer feeding program.
Arguing vehemently with state officials about a needed designation change from urban, congregate meals to rural, bundled, on-the-go meals, Holt said the reversal meant more families and their children aged 2-to-18 had better access to breakfast and lunch in the Commonwealth’s second-largest county.
Sit-down options were once again made available this year, she added, but four locations had, essentially, a drive-thru.
As such, in 2023, CCPS only served 5,200 breakfasts and 6,500 lunches.
In 2024, those numbers nearly quadrupled to more than 20,000 breakfasts and more than 20,000 lunches.
This past week, meals were extended to “Camp Kinder” kids, those looking to transition from preschool to elementary.
Naturally, the federal reimbursement quadrupled in response, up from $40,000-plus in 2023 to more than $166,000 in 2024, and Holt added that state inspectors also delivered good remarks during in-person and office reviews.
Holt said this colossal effort wouldn’t have been possible without scores of help from volunteers and CCPS food services staff — who, early on, worked some arduous hours.
Holt also said there are already discussions for what next summer’s feeding program might look like, with the idea of adding more locations being tossed about.
Again, she thought bundling made the difference, and the menu was friendly for families.
State law also made the process very streamlined.
Locations this year were:
Christian County Day Treatment Center
Christian County High School
Christian County Middle School
Division Parks and Recreation Department
Freedom Elementary School
Gateway Academy
Gordon Park
Hopkinsville Community College
Hopkinsville High School
Migrant Camp @ the UK Extension Office
Oak Grove First Baptist Church
Virginia Street Baptist Church
Volunteers who assisted included:
Chris Guier
Laurie Pemberton
Erin Westerfield
Anita Armstrong
Bro. Jim Gifford
Louis Teague
Rosa Jackson
“Mr. Bailey”
And lauded employees who assisted included:
Brenda Coker
Amanda Thomas
Linda Small
Beth Smith
Mary Irvin
Kristen Sanders
Tammie Lynch
Cheryl Monday
Stacey Hardy
And several others.
