While part of the fun of summer vacation is the unpredictable nature of days without a set routine, many Dowagiac children have found themselves relying on some familiar faces around noontime the past several months.

Apropos for this particular season, the Dowagiac Union Schools district’s free summer lunch program has been hotter than ever, said Food Services Director Deb Cahill. Now in its third year, the Dowagiac program is helping to feed between 175 to 200 children every Monday through Friday this summer, the director said.

“We have broken the 200 lunch barrier quite a few times this summer,” Cahill said. “Even with the horrible weather we still had kids coming out, which is wonderful.”

The federally funded lunch program offers children free sack lunches every weekday. The lunches include either a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or some kind of meat sandwich, along with a fresh fruit, vegetable and the children’s choice of milk.

With one in four children nationally dealing with food insecurity — not knowing when or where their next meal is coming from — providing a consistent and healthy meal to children over the break is a tremendous service to both students and parents, especially during the summer, Cahill said.

“It is very difficult for many parents to feed their children throughout the year, and when they have to be responsible for two more meals it is even harder,” Cahill said. “If we can help ease that burden a bit that is awesome.”

Around four to five different members of Sodexo, the district’s food vendor, work on preparing and serving the free meals every weekday, Cahill said. While a few employees stay behind in the kitchen to put together the lunches, others head out with the prepared meals and deliver the bags to children at various sites around the city.

Popular locations for pickup this year included Twin Lakes Park, the auto shop outside the high school and Walter Ward Park, Cahill said.

The free lunch program is just one of many ways that Sodexo and the school district have been providing free meals for local children this summer. The cafeteria staff provided breakfast and lunch to students attending summer school programs throughout the district as well to attendees to the three band camp sessions this season, Cahill said.

“It has been a busy summer for us, with all the kids we have been feeding,” she said.

The free lunch program will continue to serve children through Aug. 26.