DANVILLE — Children ages 1 through 18 in Danville and surrounding communities have an option to replace school lunches and breakfast over the summer.
A program through the USDA will fund the Summer 2026 feeding program, which will supply families in need with food for their children throughout the summer, starting on June 15 and running until July 28 in Danville and a few surrounding communities. Children must be either students in District 118 or have parents as staff members.
Zetta Piggott, the District 118 Food Service Director, is in charge of the program, and says she has registered 500 children so far, but plans to register at least 2,000.
“I feel that we can consider the program a success if we can get 2,000 children food for seven days, you know, to cover the summer,” Piggott said. “My goal was to not have to worry about that over the summer for the families that really needed it. By us offering this, I felt that they’d find a way to come in and participate … even if it was a phone call, and say, ‘Okay, here are my limitations, but I really need this, can you help me, Zetta?’ And we’ll find a way to make sure that the children are served.”
Vermilion County is one of the largest counties in the state, facing high poverty rates. The federal government defines poverty as living below the federal poverty level. According to data compiled from the Illinois Department of Public Health in 2023, Vermilion made the top 10 list of counties in the state with families living in deep poverty, which is 50% below the federal poverty line.
“The way that this program works, it’s based on rural areas only, and Danville, according to the USDA, has been categorized as a rural area, so now that means parents can pick up food because the program is a non-congregate program, so the students don’t have to come and eat with us,” Piggott said of the changes to the program this year. She said families will have a designated person to pick up the food given out each week on either a Monday or a Tuesday, depending on the location. Previous programs have required the children to be present and eat on-site.
“With this program, with it being non-congregant, they’re able to get seven days of breakfast and seven days of lunch meals when they come once a week,” Piggott said. “The food that we’re giving out, we’re not actually preparing it. The majority of it is individually packaged items, so it’ll be things that they’ll be able to take home and put in the microwave or put in the oven. We’ll have to provide menus and cooking instructions, and they will take the seven days worth of meals and handle it from there.”
To be a part of the program, Piggott says to just come register your children.
There will be registration times Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Danville High School, as well as in the afternoon time at the Vermilion Gardens Community Center from 1-3 p.m.
There will also be a registration table at district-wide registration on Tuesday, June 9, according to Piggott. And when registering, she says to bring your children. She also said grandparents or a trusted family friend are able to be the designated person to pick up the food delivery; however, they must be responsible for the child’s well-being while a parent/guardian is at work or school.
To follow changes and pickup times and locations, Piggott says to keep following the District 118 website and their Facebook page. And on one of the first days of distribution, 2 p.m. at Northridge Middle School, there will be a birthday theme party with cupcakes, music, balloons, and more.
“Some families rely on the school providing breakfast and lunch, so in the summer they’re suddenly responsible for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. This program is meant to relieve some of that strain,” Piggott says about why she is trying to register as many children as possible over the next few weeks.