Summer lunch programs, aimed at children who get free school lunch during the school year, are well established along the Wasatch Front. The kids just have to show up, and they’ll be handed what may be the most nutritious food they get all day.
That’s unfortunate because rural Utah has a higher percentage of kids who need these programs. The “food insecurity rate,” defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as the percentage of children who lack consistent access to nutritious food, is higher in most rural counties. That free meal can be their only meal some days.