A Chino lunch program that many families have relied on in recent years is no longer available, leaving some families with almost two months of summer left.
The program has been serving lunches to families at two Chino parks since 2018, offering approximately 350 lunches to families through a partnership with the Chino Valley School District.
However, when city officials contacted the district a few months ago, they were told they did not have enough resources to keep the program running.
“Now we have to bring our lunch, which is a big inconvenience,” Angela Williams said.
Her two children usually eat free and provide lunch while they are in school, and usually during the summer. But now she pays to put together their lunch every day.
“I’d say a good $10 per kid. You bring a sandwich, you bring chips, you bring a snack, you bring a drink,” she said.
Crystal Luce, another parent who relied on the lunches, says it goes beyond just the money.
“It’s very important because they’re not just getting free lunch. The kids get to play with other kids, and there’s no stigma attached to it because other kids here are getting free lunch too,” Luce said.
Chino city officials say the district said they instead redirected the money to summer school programs and are still providing more than 4,000 meals daily — but only to children who are enrolled.
They are working on a quick solution to the problem and are announcing that approximately $40,000 will be moved from their general fund to try to provide free lunches in July. They are currently looking for sellers.
“It could get expensive, especially if prices continue to rise,” said Matthew Bramlett, spokesman for the city of Chino. “We want to make sure we provide free lunches for students and free lunches for families.”
