Purpose is to Feed Children

DENTON - Just before the holiday break, Caroline County Public Schools began to put together its  food recovery program, which aims to safely repurpose school leftovers into meals for children in need. While this particular initiative is fresh, CCPS’ commitment to feeding hungry students is far from new.

“We were community schools before community schools were a thing,” said Superintendent Derek Simmons, “schools are the hubs, and we've kind of always put ourselves in that position. So, it makes sense that the school wouldn't shy away from things that are outside of reading, writing, arithmetic…we are one of the only places that connects with just about every child in the county in some form or fashion.”

He contended that it is the responsibility of CCPS to help ensure its students and their families are fed, rather than leaving the task to Caroline’s thinly-stretched non-profits alone, “we're part of a pretty big cog in the county of organizations that have really come together for a good thing. The energy has been organic around food resource efforts, and it has positioned our families to be much better off.”

Over the years, these efforts have culminated in various programs and practices CCPS employs to get food into the mouths of those who need it.

At the baseline, CCPS participates in the National School Lunch Program, which provides daily breakfast and lunch to students across the county. Due to the lack of wealth across Caroline, all schools in the Caroline County school system are able to operate under the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). CEP is a designation that allows every student to receive meals at no cost, regardless of their personal household income. The cost of the meals is reimbursed to CCPS by the United States Department of Agriculture. According to Beth Brewster, Supervisor of Food Services for CCPS, this unrestricted access to free breakfast and lunch is critical in a rural county where need may not always be visible. These meals are governed by extensive federal nutrition standards. Brewster explained that CCPS cafeterias are structured around a “Food is Health” philosophy, emphasizing fresh produce and clean ingredients.

While free meals during the school day are certainly helpful, Brewster pointed out that many students do not get proper nutrition during the weekends. That’s why they have the Central Weekend Backpack Program. Every Friday, the program distributes bags of shelf-stable food at every CCPS school to families who apply, with more than 1,000 backpacks currently going out each week. Each bag is designed to support a child through the weekend. The program is led by Roxanne Wolf and supported by retired CCPS staff volunteers, transition students who assist with packing and delivery, and designated school staff who discreetly distribute the bags. The backpack program is a long-standing tradition, possible thanks to a partnership with the Maryland Food Bank, the Caroline Foundation, and Food for Learning.

Summer break poses a larger challenge for food distribution, a challenge that CCPS has made immense strides to conquer. So far, the school system has been able to extend access to free meals into the summer months through the USDA’s Summer Food Service Program. Recent changes in federal regulations to allow for non-congregate meal distribution in rural areas significantly reshaped how CCPS operates its summer program.

“Before, when we served a meal in the summer, kids had to sit and eat and we had to watch them,” Brewster said, “Now we can hand a child a meal.” She stressed that while this change may seem insignificant, it is important because CCPS had already identified that transportation to a common space was a huge barrier for those in the most need. When the requirement for congregate meals was lifted, CCPS was able to adopt a home delivery and mobile distribution model to combat the transportation issue. Caregivers can submit applications at the end of the school year and even during the summer to be added to the mobile food distribution route. In 2025 alone, the program distributed more than 108,000 summer meals. CCPS also promotes Maryland’s Sun Bucks initiative, which provides eligible children with $120 to purchase food in the summertime.

Summer meals are delivered by the Shore Gourmet Curbside Market, a renovated small bus that functions as a traveling food market. When the bus is not delivering summer meals to Caroline’s most vulnerable students, it stops at senior housing complexes and food desert areas across Caroline, Talbot, and Dorchester counties. Stocked with fresh produce, soups, and frozen single-serving meals, Brewster emphasized that the model meets people where they are, both geographically and economically. The program is overseen by Farm to School Manager Holly Valiant, with additional flexibility allowing businesses and organizations to host the bus as a workplace wellness initiative. In past partnerships with Choptank Community Health Systems and Caroline County Health Department, and in sticking with the “Food is Health” mantra, the program has also distributed “produce prescriptions.”

Complementing the mobile market is the Fresh Five Project, which provides individuals in need with a $5 coupon redeemable at the Shore Gourmet mobile bus or Sho Go market. Funded through a grant, the initiative seeks to give dignity and choice to those in need, as rather than receiving a pre-packed box of food, participants are able to select items that best suit their preferences and needs. Brewster said that this allows food assistance to feel less transactional and more empowering. The project also works alongside the Food for a Friend program at the Sho Go Market, where customers can purchase an additional $5 frozen meal for someone else to access later.

Now, CCPS is preparing to expand its reach further through its Food Recovery Project, which will launch in the coming weeks. Uneaten but safe food items from school cafeterias will be made available to students through share tables and refrigerators, while leftover meals from across the district will be collected, repackaged, and redistributed through community centers and/or food pantries. Brewster said that CCPS had already planned to implement something similar and had bought the necessary equipment prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, which allowed them to prepare and package meals for the highest need children during quarantine. Even though the food service industry made strides in reducing waste these past few years, this program will ensure that the small amounts of food that are slated for the trashcan can instead be enjoyed by a child in need. “We might only produce 20 extra meals that day, but at least 20 people are getting a potential hot meal,” Brewster said.

“We call the whole project Food Connection,” she said. The idea that everyone has to eat, and the school system can help facilitate that necessity for its students, is important to Brewster, Dr. Simmons, and all those involved, “I have the dream team, just this incredible group of people who believe in what we do,” Brewster said, “and who better than us?”

“The kids are our community…[they] have to come ready to learn. If they’re hungry, all they’re thinking about is that they’re hungry…the reality is that some of our kids go home at the end of the school day, and the meals they got from us are the only meals they’re getting,” Brewster said, “the importance for me is to make sure that we’re taking care of our people.”