Maya McFadden photo
Troup's summer meals backbone: Cafeteria worker Robin Jones.
Mother of three Falilat Enny stopped by Troup School to visit a friend who her kids call “grandma” — because she has loved to serve Enny’s three girls free meals for breakfast and lunch all summer.
That was the scene at Troup School at 259 Edgewood Ave. Friday morning during the final day of the school’s summer meal distribution of breakfast and lunch to families in New Haven.
The school break and summer meals distribution program began during the Covid pandemic with the goal of providing New Haven youth with breakfast, lunch, and dinner meals at a variety of public sites around the city when school is not officially in session.
The program’s process has changed slightly since it was first established during the Covid pandemic. Instead of families picking up to-go packaged meals, they are now required to eat the provided meals on site.
“Things are going back to normal under the Summer Feeding Program,” explained Baron Young, the New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) district’s new food services director, during an interview with the Independent on Friday.“Waivers that we had during the height of Covid are no longer effective. Summer Feeding requires you to eat meals on site.”
Meals are distributed not only at select school buildings but also at park sites like Scantlebury. They’re also served at the Brookside apartment complex, with a food truck that sets up outdoor dining seating and provides meals to youth.
The program is free to all kids and teens 18 and under. Young estimated that the summer meals program served 5,500 meals over the course of July to community members.
Around 9 a.m. on Friday, while Troup lead cook Robin Jones finished up serving breakfast to LEAP summer camp students she then was paid a visit from Enny and her there daughters, who have become daily visitors over the past two weeks.
The family has grown to call Jones “grandma” because of her caring service to them, not only for serving the meals but also for being a warm and wonderful presence each morning.
Enny, who moved to New Haven from Brazil with her family less than a month ago as her husband pursues a doctorate, found out about the food program while browsing Troup’s website.
Her family lives only a block from the school and she was researching where to send her five-year-old this school year.
“I saw the free meals and all the sites and picked the closest one,” she said.
Enny and her three daughters — ages five, three, and two — have walked to Troup for the past two weeks for breakfast and lunch.
“They eat a lot, like four times a day, so this was helpful because they are getting quality food,” Enny said.
Jones said she treats the community members that pick up meals the same way she treats her students on the daily, with love and positivity.
As Enny opened the packaged bowl of cherries for each of her daughters at a table in the schools cafeteria, she said she appreciates Jones’ loveliness and help with learning about Troup.
Since Enny learned about the distribution site she has been relieved from cooking breakfast twice for her family. She said her daughter wakes up around 6 a.m. and typically has tea and a small breakfast then eats again at around 9 a.m. So instead of having to serve two meals to her three daughters in the morning she instead was able to walk a block to her neighborhood school and pick up a 9 a.m. breakfast.
“I want to eat everything,” Enny’s five-year-old said after sitting at the cafeteria table Friday with a packaged breakfast containing Cheerios, milk, a juice box, an apple, and a cheese stick.
Since Friday was the last day for Troup’s food distributions, Enny said she is glad she at least had a break for the last two weeks from cooking so often.
She encouraged others to visit sites nearby their homes because “the food is still quality. Don’t think it isn’t because its free. And the people are so welcoming,” she said.
This reporter saw the welcoming cafeteria staff first hand while visiting Troup, Hillhouse, and Wexler early Thursday afternoon.
Enny added that walking to the school daily for breakfast and lunch over the weeks has allowed her to go on daily walks with her children and for them to get familiar with the school she hopes for them to attend.
On Thursday, Jones served summer camp students and Enny’s family deli sandwiches with turkey and cheese or sun butter.
For the past 20 years, Jones has worked summers and during the school year to feed youth. Over those years, she’s gotten to know the kids and their families well.
“This is my calling,” she said. “I’m just a mom and carry that into the building everyday.”
Hot lunch served at Wexler Thursday.
During Thursday’s hour and a half lunch period at Wexler, the cafeteria staff served one community member who brought several of their children to have breakfast.
On Thursday Wexler staff prepared hot turkey sandwiches for lunch. However, they haven’t had a consistent flow of community members coming in for meals.
Throughout the summer the sites serve both hot and cold meals.
Summer Wexler food service staff included Karen Miller, who works at Troup during the school year. She’s worked at NHPS for 20 years. It’s also included Jenny Torres, who has worked in Wexler’s cafeteria for the past eight years.
They said their days are typically spent feeding the LEAP camp students and one community member on a weekly basis.
Summer food service staff at Hillhouse Stephanie and Chin.
At Hillhouse High School, cafeteria staffers Stephanie and Chin (who both wished not to include their last names) said they don’t know why more community members haven’t taken advantage of the summer meals program.
Chin, who was born and raised in the Bronx, recalled growing up with a free breakfast and lunch program that still continues to this day in New York.
“We got breakfast and lunch everyday from the schools. It helps our parents out a lot,” Chin said.
The duo theorized that it may have been easier for parents to pick up the meals to-go rather than being required to eat in the cafe like they are this year.
Stephanie recalled bringing her students to pick up the meals to go during the pandemic and said it helped her out as a parent significantly.
She added that said she does like that with the pandemic over, families can eat together in the provided school space. She added that she believes the Hillhouse distribution numbers are low because many youth are in the district’s summer programming and getting daily meals that way.
They said they have gone several weeks this summer without having community members visit the site.
Chin has worked with NHPS food service for 13 years and during the school year services Hillhouse. Stephanie has worked in the district for nine years and works at John Martinez school during the school year.
Free supper meals are also provided by NHPS during the school year.
“These meals fall under CACFP (Child and Adult Care Food Program). Site listings will be available once this program start as we are still operating under the Summer Feeding Program,” explained Young.
The free meal sites that will remain open through Aug. 18 are:
Fair Haven
Chatham Square Park — 78 Chatham S with lunch: 12:45p‑1:00p
Columbus Police Substation — 295 Blatchley St with Supper: 4:30p‑5:00p
Dover Beach Splash Pad — Front St & John Williamson Dr with Supper: 5:15p‑5:45p
Eastview Terrace Comm Center - 185 Eastern St with Supper: 6:00p‑6:15p
John Martinez Parking Lot,- James St & Exchange St with Supper: 3:45p‑4:15p
Mill River Apts — 210 Hamilton St with Lunch: 11:30a-11:45a
East Shore/Quinnpiac Meadows
Scott Ridge Apts — 437 Eastern St with Lunch: 1:15p‑1:45p
Westville/West Rock
Brookside Apartments — 105 Augustine St with Supper: 5:10p‑5:25p
Rockview Apts Playground — 18C Crestview Cir with Supper: 5:35p‑5:45p
The Shack — Westville Community Center — 333 Valley St with Lunch: 12:15p-12:30p
South Genesee Park Sprinkler — 35 South Genesee St with Supper: 4:00p‑4:30p
Westville Manor — 69 Lodge St with Supper: 4:45p‑5:00p
Dixwell/Dwight
Charles Street Police Substation — 26 Charles St with Supper: 6:00p‑6:15p
Garden Street Playground — Day St & Chapel St with Supper: 5:15p‑5:30p
Masjid Al Islam — 626 George St with Breakfast: 8:00a‑8:30a and Lunch:12:00p-12:30p
Scantlebury Park — 139 Ashmun St with Supper: 3:45p‑4:15p
Newhallville
Lincoln Bassett Splash Pad — Ivy & Butler St with Supper: 4:30p‑5:00p
New H.O.P.E — 109 Butler St with Breakfast: 7:30a‑8:30a and Lunch: 12:00p‑1:00p
Hill
Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center — 400 Columbus Ave with Supper: 5:45p‑6:15p
Galvin Playground — 1st St & Greenwich Ave with Lunch: 12:45p‑1:15p
Trowbridge Square Park — Salem St & Carlisle St with Lunch: 1:30p‑1:45p
(Closes Aug 11) CT Center for Arts & Technology — 4 Science Park with Breakfast: 8:00a‑9:00a and Lunch: 11:30a-12:00p