City of Chino working to help school district provide free summer lunches

A Chino lunch program that many families have relied on for the last several years is no longer available, stretching some families thin with nearly two months of summer left to go. 

The program has served lunches at two Chino parks to families since 2018, providing about 350 lunches to families through a partnership with the Chino Valley School District. 

However, when city officials reached out to the district a few months ago, they were told that they didn't have enough resources to keep the program running. 

"Now we gotta bring our lunches, which is a big inconvenience," said Angela Williams.

Her two children usually eat for free, provided lunches while they're at school, and usually during the summer. But now, she's paying to put their lunches together every day. 

"I'd probably say a good $10 a kid, you pack a sandwich, you pack chips, you pack a snack, you pack a drink," she said. 

Crystal Luce, another parent who relied on the lunches, say that it goes beyond the money. 

"It's very important, because not only do they have the free lunch. They kids get to play with other kids, and there's no stigma attached, because other kids are here having the free lunch as well," Luce said. 

Chino city officials say that the district said they instead redirected the funds to summer school programs and that they're still providing more than 4,000 meals daily — but only to children who are enrolled. 

They're working to find a quick solution to the problem, announcing about $40,000 being reallocated from their general fund to try and provide free lunches in July. They're currently looking for vendors. 

"It can get expensive, especially with prices going up all the time," said Matthew Bramlett, a spokesperson for the City of Chino. "We want to make sure we provide free lunches for students, free lunches for families."