FRANKLIN
For the seventh year, the Franklin Redevelopment and Housing Authority has received money from the No Kid Hungry Virginia program. This will enable children to get free breakfasts and lunches this summer.

Linda “Von” Boone-Randolph, a Family Self-Sufficiency coordinator for the FRHA, said the two-part program is for all children ages 4 to 14, whether or not they are residents living in or around six FRHA sites: Berkley, Bruce, Pretlow, Southampton Meadows, Faith Works Fellowship Christian Church and Piney Grove Baptist Church. The meals are prepared at the Pretlow site and distributed to the aforementioned locations.

Antoinette Copeland, another Family Self-Sufficiency coordinator for the agency, said about 670 children will be served this season, which will be from Monday, June 18 through Friday, Aug. 24.

More specifically, she is the self-described project overseer for all the sites.

Copeland, who started at the FRHS in April, brings her experiences at the Genieve Shelter.

“I just basically work with the children … I love children,” said the mother of two.

The second part of the program is for enrichment. Children who live at one of the sites can sign up for activities devoted to math, reading, science and learning life skills such as etiquette, self-esteems, goal-setting and anti-bullying behavior. Also included are tours to colleges, museums and fire stations, as well as visits from first responders. Collaboration is also done with the libraries to participate in their own activities.

Randolph added that there’s no cost to apply for these activities, and that children can come to them on the days they occur.

The money is obtained by annually writing lengthy and involved applications.

“You have to go back and pull statistics from previous year’s numbers and project how much you’ll need for the next,” she said.

This year’s amount is $2,450, about the same as previous years, which is the lowest amount of the 21 recipients. Louisa County Public Schools and the Lynchburg City School District will each get $30,000. The total for all localities is $167,509.

“Too many kids miss out on healthy meals during the summer months,” said Claire Mansfield, No Kid Hungry Virginia State Director. “In addition to complimentary meals, many of the sites offer physical and enrichment opportunities to keep youth engaged while school is out of session.”

For more information about the Summer Food Service Program and the importance of connecting youth with meals during the summer, visit https://va.nokidhungry.org/summer-resources.

For more information about the local program, call Copeland at 562-0384, ext. 208.