Pico Rivera Will Start Summer Lunch Program June 13

By Brian Hews

At its last council meeting, the city of Pico Rivera voted to restart its Summer Food Service Program, which is funded by the United States Department of Agriculture.

The agreement is with Foodservice Outreach, Inc. D.B.A., Pacific Catering Company with the 2022 vended meal cost estimated to be $76,000.

Foodservice Outreach is the current provider for the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank (over 75 sites), Boys and Girls Club of La Habra, and the cities of La Habra, Montebello, Placentia, and Alhambra.

For the past 13 years, the city has operated an SFSP successfully with Foodservice Outreach as the program’s food service vendor.

The SFSP is an important program, providing free meals to children 18 and under throughout the summer months to ensure that they have access to healthy, nutritious food while school is not in session.

In 2021, nearly 60,000 meals were served through the SFSP. T

The SFSP will provide youth with free breakfast and lunch five days a week, Monday through Friday at four parks: Pico, Rio Hondo, Rivera, and Smith parks from 8:00-9:00 a.m. for breakfast, and from 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m. for lunch.

The program will begin on June 13, 2022, and run through August 5, 2022, the start of the school year.

The agreement requires the vendor to deliver meals directly to meal sites, provide a mixture of nutritious hot and cold meals at a set price, and furnish the equipment necessary to maintain food temperatures at mandated levels per local and state guidelines.

Pico Rivera Dr. Mayor Monica Sanchez told HMG-CN, “Families in Pico Rivera are facing rising inflation costs at an unexpected and rapid pace right now and it’s impacting everything including the cost of groceries. With tightening family budgets and school out for the summer the City of Pico Rivera wanted to make sure that our youth have access to free nutritious meals this summer. We hope that our families and youth take advantage of this offer and enjoy the free meals.”