Spring break spells trouble for some students

As Eastern Idaho students head out of school for spring break, it usually a great time for most. What with no homework, no teachers, and no tests – the break is a perfect time to escape the stress of school. However, for some students, it brings on a whole new level of stress.

“It’s huge,” Kymm Swiston, a team lead for child nutrition at Bonneville Joint School District 93, said. “If you’re a family that’s struggling and then you don’t have $2.35 just so your kid can have lunch, it makes all the difference in the world between not eating and having a nutritious meal.”

When school is not in session, that means the kitchens are closed. For those kids that rely on free or reduced school meals, it makes it tough to know when they’re next meal might come.

“We have a 40% free and reduced rate, and the majority of those students do take advantage of the program,” says Swiston.

In Idaho Falls, families can take advantage of the community food basket and soup kitchen.

“Time when school is not in session, we see a spike at the soup kitchen- in terms of number of children we serve, ” David Manson, the Executive Director of the Community Food Basket Idaho Falls and Soup Kitchen, said. “Same thing in terms of families with children that come to us at the food basket for their groceries.”

About 42% of people served last year were children.

“It affects their health, it affects their ability to learn, it affects their ability to study, it affects their behavior,” Manson explained. “Especially as a child and they’re developing, their brain cells are developing, and their bodies are developing to go without food is never a good thing for a child.”

So access to food over the break is crucial.

The soup kitchen makes it simple. Their hours of operation are from noon to 1:00 p.m. daily, at 301 South Boulevard in Idaho Falls.

“The volunteers are an amazing group of people, they’re very welcoming, inviting and non judgmental,” Manson said.”They actually serve the meals. It’s a really nice environment, it’s a very comfortable place. It’s a hot nutritious meal.”

As well as families needing the food basket. Open Monday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and Tuesday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Recipients will receive a full complement of food once every month.

“It’ll last them four days, for a family of four, but it’ll get them over the hump,” said Manson.

Bonneville Joint School District 93 also provides the “backpack program,” where they send kids in need with backpacks stuffed with food to last them the weekend or enough for a break.

During the summer, the school district hosts the “Summer Food Service Program” where children aged 1-18 can get free breakfast and lunch starting June 7th through the 29th. Adults may purchase breakfast and lunch.

Mondays through Thursday, breakfast is 8:00 a.m. through 8:30 a.m. and lunch 11:00 a.m through 12:00 p.m.

The following school participating are Falls Valley Elementary, Cloverdale Elementary, Discovery Elementary, and Summit Hills Elementary.