Summer nutrition important to Lawton Public Schools

Nutrition has long been important to Lawton Public Schools.

The school system has provided a summer feeding program for youth for at least 20 years, said LPS Child Nutrition Director Daniel Ghrayyeb, of a program specifically designed to provide meals to anyone in Lawton under the age 18, no matter where they go to school, during the summer months. The idea is to continue nutritious meals during the months when school is out of session, replacing the breakfast and lunch served to students during the regular school year.

The program served roughly 1,000 youth a day during the weekdays the program was offered in Summer 2023, Ghrayyeb said. Number fluctuate from year to year — participation during the COVID pandemic was definitely higher, he said — but changes in federal guidelines at the start of last summer made it a little harder for student participation.

“They had to eat at that location,” he said, of sites where meals were prepared or set up. “That makes it harder than if kids take their food and go.”

The most recent version of the program provided meals at school sites and some city parks. The serving site near the Elmer Thomas Park splash pad was especially popular, Ghrayyeb said, adding that a decision to use a food truck to deliver to some city parks also proved popular.

The locations are a deliberate decision and one that reflects research by LPS staff.

“We go where the kids are. We try to target,” he said, explaining school sites are not always convenient if children don’t live near the school and it’s not easy to get there. “Oklahoma summers are pretty hot. Parents are more likely to take them to a park or splash pad and hang out, versus going to a school and waiting for 20-30 minutes in a car while it’s hot outside. You get better participation with some type of activity or something in it for them.”

That’s why he expects Summer 2024 to look like last summer. That means some alternate sites, but also a focus on LPS schools where the district already has summer programming planned (such as the summer STEM program). Those youth will get activities as well as breakfast and lunch, he said. Analysis of other sites will focus on things such as density (how many kids are in the neighborhood close to the school) and which are the most walkable. The ultimate decision is based on sites that have the greatest likelihood of use.

Lawton Public Schools’ program is open to any youth in Lawton under the age 18, as well as older youth if they are enrolled in Lawton Public Schools. Ghrayyeb said the idea is that the meals are a community program, not something unique to Lawton Public Schools students. District officials share the news about the program through multiple sources, to include traditional media, postings on the LPS website, social media, flyers, notices sent home with students, and banners at each feeding site.