The smell of baking garlic bread and chicken nuggets filled the air inside the Collins Elementary School cafeteria in Jefferson Parish on a recent summer afternoon as more than 100 children loaded up their lunch trays.
Some of the students, who ranged from ages 5-12 and wore cowboy hats and boots to celebrate “western day,” held their plates to their noses, inhaled and let out an audible “mmmm.”
“We like to get feedback from the kids about what they like and don’t like,” said Destiny Uhle, district area manager for Jefferson Parish Schools, as she bustled from table to table chatting with students. “They aren’t shy about telling us.”
The school is one of many in Louisiana that participate in the Summer Food Services Program, a federal program under the U.S. Department of Agriculture that provides free breakfast and lunch to children 18 and under when school is not in session. Local food banks also help many low-income families fill their pantries over the summer when children are home from school…