April 27 Akron City Council committee meetings
Covered by Documenter Abby Cymerman (see the notes here).
Editor’s note: This article was updated to include the locations and times of the meals, which were released by the City of Akron on May 13.
During the school year, all students at Akron Public Schools are eligible to receive breakfast and lunch at no charge — meals developed by registered dieticians to keep their bellies full and their young minds ready to learn.
But when school isn’t in session during the summer and food at home might be scarce, how can communities make sure their children are getting enough to eat?
To address this problem, APS is again partnering with the City of Akron’s Recreation Department to provide free, healthy breakfasts and lunches to the children of Akron through the Summer Food Service Program.
An ordinance to approve a $300,000 contract to facilitate the program’s meal preparation and delivery services was discussed during the April 27 meeting of City Council’s Parks and Recreation Committee and passed at the May 4 council meeting.
“Last year, we served approximately 46,000 meals — breakfast and lunch — throughout the community,” said Robert Dowdell, the city’s food service program coordinator and supervisor at the Ed Davis Community Center in Akron’s Sherbondy Hill neighborhood.
He added that, with the current economic situation, he expects this summer’s program to exceed the demand of previous years.
The food program will be located at 15 sites throughout Akron, including all of the city’s community centers, an outside location at Lane Field Park and 25 to 30 school sites throughout the APS district.
The program will run from June 8 to July 31.
The city announced the locations and times, listed below, on May 13.
| Site name | Address | Zip | Breakfast | Lunch |
| Ed Davis Community Center | 730 Perkins Park Dr. | Akron 44320 | 9 a.m. | Noon |
| Ellet Community Center (Monday – Thursday) | 2449 Wedgewood Dr. | Akron 44312 | 9 a.m. | 11 a.m. |
| Ericsson Homes | 1380 Dahlgren Dr. | Akron 44306 | 9 a.m. | 11:30 a.m. |
| Firestone Park Community Center (No breakfast on Friday) | 1480 Girard St. | Akron 44301 | 9 a.m. | 11:30 a.m. |
| Joy Park Community Center | 825 Fuller St. | Akron 44306 | 8:45 a.m. | Noon |
| Kenmore Community Center (Monday – Thursday) | 880 Kenmore Blvd. | Akron 44314 | 10 a.m. | Noon |
| Lane Field (outside) | 630 Vernon Odom Blvd. | Akron 44307 | N/A | 11:30 a.m. |
| Judge James R. Williams Lawton Street Community Center | 1225 Lawton St. | Akron 44320 | 9 a.m. | Noon |
| Mason Park Community Center | 700 E. Exchange St. | Akron 44306 | 9:30 a.m. | 11:30 a.m. |
| Northwest (Mon – Thur) Community Center | 1730 Shatto Ave. | Akron 44313 | 9 a.m. | 11:30 a.m. |
| Patterson Park Community Center | 800 Patterson Ave | Akron 44310 | 9 a.m. | Noon |
| Reservoir Park Community Center | 1735 Hillside Terrace | Akron 44305 | 9 a.m. | 11:30 a.m. |
| Summit Lake Community Center | 380 W. Crosier St. | Akron 44311 | 9 a.m. | 11:30 a.m. |
| Vincent House (Monday – Thursday) | 838 E. Exchange St. | Akron 44306 | 9 a.m. | 11:30 a.m. |
| Wilbeth Homes | 888 Eller Ave. | Akron 44306 | 9 a.m. | 11:30 a.m. |
This program is available throughout APS as well as other school districts in low-income areas through the federal Community Eligibility Provision, a service provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service department.
The CEP allows these districts to serve meals to all enrolled students without their families having to apply. According to the USDA website, “schools that adopt CEP are reimbursed using a formula based on the percentage of students categorically eligible for free meals based on their participation in other specific means-tested programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.”
