JACKSON, Wyo. — Summer break is right around the corner for local students and Hole Food Rescue (HFR) is making sure lunch is available to children all summer long through the Sprout Summer Lunch Program.
The program provides free lunches Monday, June 17 through Friday, Aug. 30 at various locations and timeframes across town. The program is completely free and requires no intake forms or sign-up.
This year, in partnership with One22, Teton County School District #1 and the Fund for Public Education, HFR added a pick-up location at Jackson Elementary School (JES). Monday through Thursday from June 18 through Aug. 16, lunches can be picked up at JES from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. July 4 is the only day the program will not be available.
“Ensuring all children have access to a healthy lunch is crucial for our community’s health and well-being,” Iván Jiménez, HFR Program Director, said.
The Sprout Mobile will visit the six local parks listed below, staying at each location for 45 minutes, Monday through Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.
Monday, Wednesday and Friday:
- Mike Yokel Park: 10:30 a.m.
- Powderhorn Park: 11:30 a.m.
- Cottonwood Park: 12:30 p.m.
Tuesday and Thursday:
- Phil Baux Park: 10:30 a.m.
- Miller Park: 11:30 a.m.
- May Park 12:30 a.m.
Evening pick-up opportunities are also available and aim to create more accessibility and convenience for working families.
Lunches can be picked up Monday through Thursday at the Sprout Stand at the following locations and times, traffic permitting:
- Evans Mobile Home Court: 5:15 – 6:15 p.m.
- Karl Johnson Mobile Home Park: 6:40 – 7:05 p.m.
- Latitude 43 (Formerly Blair Place Apartments): 7:20 – 7:45 p.m.
Lunches will also be distributed to local camps for children on Youth Enrichment Scholarships, coordinated by One22 with support from the Community Foundation of Jackson Hole.
According to HFR, In 2023, 7,869 lunches were distributed through the program; this year an estimated 15,000 lunches will be distributed.
“Hole Food Rescue would not be in the position to expand the Sprout program by nearly double without our new home,” Hannah Cooley, HFR Executive Director said. “We are grateful that we can support local families and their children at such a critical time.”
To support the expanded program, HFR has hired three new seasonal staff members and added 110 volunteer shifts. The organization announced last August that they were moving into a larger facility to better accommodate the expanding operations. At the time Cooley said HFR was rescuing 890% more food than they were when the organization started, and an average of 950 pounds of food is rescued every day from local grocery stores, markets, bakeries and restaurants.
