WCPS increases summer meal numbers by nearly 100,000 meals, wins award for innovation

WARREN COUNTY, Ky. – With school just a few weeks away, Warren County Public Schools is getting ready for the new school year, and that includes getting ready to feed thousands of mouths a day.

But that effort doesn’t stop after the school year ends this summer. WCPS was a part of the SUN meals program, providing over 323,000 meals this summer break. That is up nearly 100,000 meals from the over 227,000 that they provided last year.

With an increase in food costs that we’ve all been seeing, WCPS leaders say the community needs services such as these.

“I do believe that our community needs this,” said WCPS director of nutrition and dining Kelly Holt. “It is a times are a little difficult right now with the way things cost and price increases on everything. So it’s a great opportunity to come and pick up these meals. And it’s great for our families budgets. It really helps.”

It’s not just about the quantity for them, though, as quality is just as important. Holt says that the fresh fruits and vegetables, and high quality meals have also helped spread the word to help feed more kids.

“Last year they saw the high quality meals that we gave them fresh fruits, fresh specials, whole grains, all kinds of great food ready for their kids for the summer that that word got out,” Holt said. “They told more, and the program built off of the high quality that we provided last year and that we continued to provide this year.”

But feeding a whole community of children is no easy task. The program relies heavily on volunteers, many of whom work for the school system and have the summers off, to help prepare and drop food off for the kids. Holt says that those works make him proud to be a part of a school system such as WCPS.

Holt said, “A majority of the people who work with us during the summer, they’re the ones who work with us during the school year, and this is their time off. They volunteer to come and work during this time. They want to see the kids. They want to provide for our families. And that’s heartwarming to me to see that our staff step up for our community during this time, and for it to have this type of an increase, that’s just icing on the cake.”

That effort was also recognized nationally as Warren County Public Schools. Nutrition and Dining Services was awarded the 2026 NXTGEN Innovation Award for their efforts. But the work doesn’t stop, as WCPS has also announced, it will be participating in the Community Eligibility Provision Program, offering a free breakfast and lunch while kids are at school.