Summer lunch added for kids in Fairfield

Summer in Fairfield will be a mix of old and new as the town continues one summer program for children and adds two more.

For the first time Fairfield is serving free lunches for all children age 18 and younger through a program run by the USDA that reimburses the cost of the meals. Meals are served weekdays at noon at the Fairfield Community Center on Main Street.

Deputy town clerk Jeannie Jesseph said she learned about the program at a conference and wondered if it could be brought to Fairfield. “It ended up that we were approved to do it,” she said. “We’re pretty excited about it, really.”

Thirty-five people came to lunch on Monday, the first day, said town clerk Cheryl Loeffler, topping their hoped-for 30 participants. “It went over really well,” she said.

The town also is opening Levi’s Room in the Community Center for kids of all ages on Thursday nights from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Kids will be served a free meal and get a chance to play games and participate in other activities.

The continuing summer program is the town’s participation in a swim program that buses children from Fairfield, Waverly and Latah to the Tekoa pool. A bus will leave Thiel Park at noon every Wednesday beginning July 11. Applications and permission slips are available at City Hall on Main Street.

The cost is $2 per child per week. This year Tekoa will be providing lunch to the children who ride the bus.

For more information about the summer programs, call City Hall at (509) 283-2414.