WILTON  —  During the summer, Recreation Director Frank Donald sees lots of children at Kineowatha Park. Many are there all day with no supervision and no food to eat, he said.

“Some will come in and ask to bum a little money or offer to sweep or pick up trash to get a hot dog,” he said. He suspects they walk to the park or are dropped off there for the day.

When he was invited to meetings about organizing a summer food service program through Feeding America, it piqued he interest. He talked with Town Manager Rhonda Irish and got her involved.

As a result of those meetings, the Recreation Department will offer free lunches to all children, 18 and under, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Thursday from July 1 through Aug. 8 at the park.

Any child can partake but the meal must be eaten there. Adults can purchase a lunch for $3, Irish said.

Cheryl Ellis, RSU 9  food/nutrition coordinator, will manage the program and lunches will be prepared by Nancy Pratt at Academy Hill School.

“It’s a good site to try for our first year,” Ellis said. “Kids are there and there are activities for them.”

Ellis, Donald, representatives of the program from Bangor, some clergy and others were also invited to those meetings at the University of Maine at Farmington where a college student began checking into the summer food program, she said.

“We all started brainstorming,” she added.

The Feeding America Summer Food Service Program provides free meals and snacks to low-income children during the summer months and when children are unable to access school meals. They reach children in need through sites operated by schools, summer and day camps, churches, or community organizations, according to its website.

A program for Farmington was considered but a good site wasn’t found, Ellis said.

While more than 50 percent of children receive free and reduced-priced lunches at Wilton schools, the change in location required research to offer the program at the park, she said.

Based on a map with the town mapped out by income levels, houses around the park didn’t qualify but low-income children at the two Wilton schools did, Donald said.

They researched qualifying students who took part in the recreation program last year and found they just reached the 50 percent  mark by one or two students.  This opens the program up to the public and any child, she said.

Funding for the lunches will go through the RSU 9 lunch program for reimbursement from the national program, Ellis said.

“It’s not costing the town any money,” Donald said. “We’ve received a ton of positive comments and several people have volunteered to help.”

The town’s swim program takes place at Kineowatha along with other recreational activities.  Kineowatha is the “main hub of the Recreation Department,” Donald added.

The Wilton Free Public Library will also contribute, providing activities for a couple days a week. A reading program and arts and craft activities are being planned, he said.

“Lunches will be mostly cold foods like sandwiches, salads, fruit, vegetables and milk. A good balanced meal that meets requirements for state and federal lunch programs,” Ellis said. “We’re hoping students and families take part.”

“The government is paying for me to help kids in this area, one that is not doing well financially,” Donald said. “There’s a lot of questions (about the new program) but we’re headed in the right direction.”

The response from townspeople, Donald said, verifies the town’s slogan, “Wilton — A Good Place To Live, Work and Play.”

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