How to Grab Free Meals and Go

By Carey Head / Staff Writer

The United States Department of Agriculture and Oklahoma State Department of Education are combining forces to provide free meals to all children through June 2022. This “Seamless Summer” nutrition program eliminates red tape requirements such as proofs of income, identity and status as a student.

The result is a food fest for any child age 18 and under who, basically, has a pulse. These meals are offered to all children without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability.

Children are offered free meals even if they are not students in Ponca City. In fact, children need not live in Ponca City nor be U.S. citizens to receive a free meal.

To make this even simpler, families do not need to make a meal reservation such as calling Child Nutrition to request a meal. Even proof of identity isn’t needed.

All the meal-taker needs to provide is the name of the child who will be eating the meal. According to Superintendent Shelley Arrott, “Anyone may collect a meal for a child. We only need the name of the child; no identification is necessary.”

PONCA CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Ponca City Public Schools Child Nutrition Program is steering the local project for PCPS. Their free lunches will be offered Monday through Friday from June 1 – 25. Pick-up times are Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Lunch containers will be available for pickup at four sites: Union Elementary, Garfield Elementary and West Middle School as well as White Eagle Park. Separate containers with breakfast for the next day will be available, as well. Superintendent Arrott explains, “We have stationed the pick-up locations at various sites around town to ease the burden for transportation. Meals may be collected through drivethrough or walk-up service. Anyone can pick up a meal for a child, so we encourage parents to carpool or take turns collecting meals. If patrons know someone without transportation, we encourage them to volunteer to collect the meals.”

She added, “Our transportation department will take meals to White Eagle each day via bus and meals will be available for collection at the park. Child Nutrition personnel will be available to disseminate meals at White Eagle Park.” No meals will be offered during the month of July and through the first weeks of August until the first day of school, Aug. 18. Instead, PCPS Child Nutrition will turn its attention to renovation, repair and staff training. FIRST LUTHERAN SCHOOL

The First Lutheran School Cafeteria is the site where any one can enjoy a hot lunch. Those 18 and under will eat free. Adults will be charged $4. Senior Citizens and those with military ID will pay just $3.50. Lunch service is planned through June and July until August 12.

Italian, Hispanic and American cuisines are featured in turn at the “My Way Café” inside Po-Hi’s network of dining spots. Here, Munda Taylor prepares the build-your-own burrito and taco salad offerings for hungry students and staff to enjoy.

for Child Nutrition including supplies, equipment, utilities, and wages. Jeff says the staff was paid during the 2018 teachers’ strike and demonstrations at the State Capitol. During those 10 days, with PCPS being among the 200 districts forced to close was, according to Jeff, a big blow to Child Nutrition’s budget. “It really hit hard when we had the advocating at the State Capitol. That was our first exposure to downright losing money. We continued to pay our staff.” Staff also has been paid all through the pandemic, regardless of whether Ponca City’s public schools were in session, virtually, actually or closed. Payment came out of Child Nutrition’s operating account. “All staff have contracts, just like teachers do, and we honor those contracts. It’s a priority to me that the staff gets paid. But it’s a burden on the program when your income goes to 25 percent.” He explains prior to 2020, 5,500-6,000 students were served breakfast and lunch, “so

For super-fast service, Shelley Hadley, left, and Judy Amberger are ready to help.

that means everybody was eating.” This year the number of meals served is down by nearly 25 percent. The State of Oklahoma sets a minimum price school districts must charge for meals. Reimbursement for these meals comes from the federal government with each school district reimbursed for student meals at the same rate. “Our reimbursement rate in Ponca City is the same as New York City,” he smiles. Food trends come and go (pizza and pocket sandwiches are, somewhat surprisingly, not as popular as before). And Jeff has found that a lot of students haven’t been exposed to different foods. “If the fast-food restaurant didn’t serve it, then (some students) didn’t recognize it.” “One little girl didn’t recognize a chicken bone,” he says. As the pandemic-related isolation wanes, Jeff and his staff can look back on the past semesters with the satisfaction that students were fed, whether on-site, in sacks or with food delivered by teachers to their students’ front doors. Pivoting from hot food line to service from sacks came with as little warning as an overnight phone call as a school or class was quarantined. “We aren’t out there to make money, but we’ve got to cover our costs. Bottom line, feeding kids is the most important thing we do.”

An exuberant group celebrates free lunches to be offered each weekday in June to anyone age 18 and younger. From left, Abby Williams; Child Nutrition’s Rogerlynn “Rogie” Rhynard, Stephanie Gross, East Middle School manager and Randy Wilks, West Middle School manager. Joining them are Ninive Gomez, Hawk Whiteplume, Colton Taylor, Bailey Ryan, Tyson Dewberry, Autumn Pettit, Treyton Gober; and Child Nutrition’s Pamela Loy, Karen Luis and Linda Turner, CNP District Analyst. Photo by Lauren Payne/Staff Photographer.

Perfectly fried chicken, potatoes and other favorites are ready for serving, thanks to Sonia Rehema’s expertise. Sonia is part of the “Chix” specialty food line available at Ponca City High School.

The My Way Café’s Paula Nelson puts final touches on a steaming pan of broccoli.

Each month we will be recognizing one of our long-time Investors. It was our pleasure speaking with attorneys Jim Devinney and Brad Wicker with Boettcher, Devinney, Ingle, Wicker. BDIW Law are trial lawyers who represent clients from Ponca City and across northern Oklahoma in a wide range of cases including personal injury, auto accident, workers’ compensation and Social Security Disability Insurance claims. These attorneys have a passion for helping people that comes naturally to them and when you add in an ever-present competitive nature and 65 years of combined legal experience handling injury claims, you have a team that knows nothing more than to go above and beyond for their clients.

Jim, originally from Cashion, moved here in 1993 and quickly made Ponca City his home. At the beginning of his career, he was representing large corporations. He then moved on to defense cases. It wasn’t until he started practicing workers’ compensation law that he found his niche. Jim noted it was then that “ I finally felt like I was truly able to help people and really cared about what I was doing.”

Brad began practicing law in 1997. After being a teacher and baseball coach in his hometown of Mangum, he decided to go back to school to study law. He soon realized law was his true passion.

In 2018, Jim & Brad with Fred Boettcher and Derek Ingle formed Boettcher, Devinney, Ingle, & Wicker. As a firm, they care about their clients and genuinely want to help them get the justice they deserve. Brad expresses “I don’t have a problem coming to work everyday. There is so much value in being able to get up every day and think ‘I get to go to work today’, I like being here and that’s nice. If you like people, you like your clients and it just puts your effort on a different level naturally. One of the biggest compliments our clients give us is that when they leave they feel like they are leaving their friends. They care about us and we care about them. We are all jointly suffering in this crazy world we live in and everyone deserves basic levels of decency and good treatment.”

Their office is nestled in the heart of our downtown at 115 E. Grand Avenue. They have made significant improvements to their historic property over the years truly adding to the beautification of our downtown. BDIW has been a long-time Investor in Ponca City Main Street and hosts the photo booth each year at our Goblins on Grand Halloween carnival! We want to extend a big thank you to Boettcher, Devinney, Ingle and Wicker for supporting our program for so many years. We are so grateful to have their firm downtown! L to R: Derek Ingle, Brad Wicker, Jim Devinney

is to serve Ponca City and its citizens by promoting quality of life through the revitalization of downtown.

Our Vision is to make downtown the heart of our community!

Our Transformation Strategies are Arts & Entertainment and Community Connection.

Maci was born in Ponca City and lived here until her family relocated to the nearby community of Fairfax when she was 8 years old. She attended Woodland Public Schools and was a graduate of the 2008 class. She started her college education while still in high school by taking concurrent classes with Northern Oklahoma College. Upon graduation, she moved back to Ponca City and completed her degree in Social Sciences with NOC in 2010.

In January 2011 Maci began her over ten-year career in banking by working at Eastman National Bank and was with the company through the merger of Equity Bank. In May of 2018 Maci accepted a loan administration position with Community National Bank & Trust. She has been with CNB&T since that time.

Maci is a very community focused individual and has been a part of several local boards, projects, events and fundraisers. She was a board member of the Ponca City March of Dimes from 2011 to 2017. She currently serves as the Vice-President for Peachtree Landing, Kay County’s homeless shelter. In 2019 she started a three-year term as a board member for the Ponca City Main Street and is on the promotions committee for the organization. She recently completed a three-year term on the United Way allocations committee. She is a graduate of the 32nd class of Leadership Ponca City and the 23rd class of the Ponca City Police Academy. Maci was also accepted into the Kay County Sheriff’s Academy and plans to complete the course in the future since it has been delayed due to Covid. She is also an active member of the Ponca City Young Employees.

In her free time Maci enjoys being an aunt to her two nieces and two nephews, spending time with her boyfriend, friends and family, attending community events and fundraisers, shopping in downtown Ponca City, going to the lake and traveling.

She is very passionate about making our community a better place so that she can help enhance the quality of life for all Ponca City’s citizens.

YOU CAN HELP If you believe our downtown is the ❤ of our community, we hope you’ll honor that belief by investing in our program in 2021. For more information on investing in Ponca City Main Street visit www.downtownponcacity.com and click on “Invest Now!” You can also call us at 580-763-8082 or visit our office in City Central at 400 E. Central, Suite 201G.