LANSFORD, Pa. — On Thursday, a special guest from the State Department of Education helped a mobile distribution site in Carbon County.
With bags in hand, families lined up outside the Panther Valley Football Stadium in Lansford. One by one, families picked up enough breakfasts and lunches to last a couple of days. Erica Frederickson says she has seven kids under the age of 9.
"It helps me out a lot on food. I am the only parent at home; it saves money and helps me save all around."
This is the first year for this program through the USDA Summer Nutrition Program. This week, the meal distribution had a special guest to help out: State Department of Education Secretary Dr. Khalid Mumin.
"You have to give it to the staff; these families they call them by name, and they are very thankful. This is a commonwealth thing, so it's very important for us to be visible in this work to support Panther Valley," said Dr. Mumin.
His visit is an up-close look at how other schools in the state can model programs for rural communities like Panther Valley.
"Just to have an opportunity to talk to him, we are honored he is here and acknowledge that the program is successful, and hopefully, other school districts see what we are doing," said David Mcandrew, Panther Valley superintendent.
Officials tell Newswatch 16 that nearly 80% of the students in the Panther Valley School District qualify for subsidized lunch during the school year. Programs like this are vital during the summer months.
"We are aware that food insecurity doesn't stop when summer starts, so we want to make sure we supply them seven days a week with food. We have about 600 students that come each time," added Mcandrew.
This is the final week of distribution since staff are getting ready for the new school year.