Tell City schools offer free summer meals for children and families

Tell City Jr.-Sr. High School is keeping a steady summer food line moving for Perry County families, with free meals available for children ages 18 and under through July 17. The Tell City-Troy Township School Corporation’s summer meal service is built to give parents a dependable option while school is out, and it keeps the district connected to families long after the classroom doors close.

Lunch is served every day from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the school site, giving families a fixed midday window instead of a scattered schedule. Beginning June 15, meals could be eaten in the cafeteria or picked up to-go, and a grab-and-go breakfast was available for the next morning. The page also listed adult prices for breakfast and lunch, a practical detail for caregivers who may be eating with children or helping with transportation.

The program fits into a broader nutrition system that stretches well beyond Tell City. The Indiana Department of Education says the Summer Food Service Program is federally funded and state administered, reimbursing approved operators that serve free healthy meals and snacks when school is not in session. USDA says every child age 18 and under can receive no-cost summer meals, and it notes that some rural communities offer meals to-go, which makes the Tell City option especially useful for families outside the most centralized parts of Perry County.

USDA’s Summer Meals Site Finder is another tool families can use to locate nearby sites, directions, hours and contact information. Indiana also directs families to text “summer meals” or “verano” to 914-342-7744, or call the USDA National Hunger Hotline at 1-866-3-HUNGRY or 1-877-8-HAMBRE.

Tell City’s current schedule also shows the district treating summer feeding as a recurring service, not a one-time offering. A local report from 2024 said William Tell Elementary and Tell City Jr.-Sr. High School served free meals to children ages 18 and under from May 28 to July 24. This year’s earlier start and July 17 end give families a clear window for planning, and the service remains one of the simplest ways the schools can help keep children fed, routines intact and students ready to return when classes resume.