07/31/2026
⭐️ 100,000 Meals Served During Woodford County Public Schools Summer Meal Program ⭐️
We can hardly believe it! 100,000 times this summer, a child in Woodford County has had a good meal at no cost to their family. 100,000 times this summer, parents and caregivers have known exactly where they can find a delicious, nutritious meal for their child. 100,000 times this summer, no one had to worry about putting a meal on the table.
Thank you, thank you, thank you to our incredible Food Service Department for their tireless efforts in serving 100,000+ meals. Thank you to all of the staff members throughout the district who volunteered to help this amazing effort.
Read more below 😊
WOODFORD COUNTY, Ky. — Woodford County Public Schools (WCPS) is thrilled to announce that the WCPS Food Service Department reached the profound accomplishment of serving 100,000 free meals during the free summer meal program. In our summer meal program, all children 18 years old and younger may show up to one of our meal sites, may participate in summer meals at their summer camp or program, or their parents/caregivers may sign up for meal bags.
The Summer Food Service Program operates on a reimbursement model; every meal served is reimbursed using federal funds that go to our child nutrition program. It does not rely on local school district property taxes or local educational operating budgets. By operating this program, it helps the district bring in more federal dollars to help support our National School Lunch Program during the school year.
Mrs. Courtney Quire, WCPS Director of Food Service, says, “Surpassing 100,000 meals is a major milestone for our district, and it directly reflects our team’s effort to meet families where they are. Over the last couple of years, we recognized that traditional, on-site dining wasn't always accessible for every family due to work schedules, childcare, or transportation challenges.”
In 2025, the summer meal program served 54,253 meals. As the district is now on track to double this number, Mrs. Quire explains how this impressive growth is possible. She says, “We expanded our approach with weekly meal bags with an option to pick up or receive meals delivered directly to homes. This grew to nearly 600 bags per week, totaling 8,400 meals per distribution. We also continued our partnership with local summer camps and programs, like Falling Springs, Journey Church, Woodford County Library, St. John's Vacation Bible School, Hugz n Hissy Fits daycare, ETC childcare, the Migrant Program, and Extended School Year Services. We also expanded our reach by adding St. Leo's and The Academy at UMC.”
“Mrs. Quire and her team are deeply passionate about feeding the children of Woodford County,” says Superintendent Lori Jones. “The Food Service team’s dedication to meeting the needs of our students is evident in how they have worked to expand the free summer meal program to more sites and to include meal bags. We believe in caring for the whole child, so ensuring kids have nutritious, delicious meals is a top priority for us.”
Mrs. Quire is grateful for the support of many people to make the summer meal program what it is. She says, “An operation of this size is only possible because of a massive team effort across our entire district. Our food service staff are the unsung heroes of the summer. Preparing over 100,000 meals requires early mornings, meticulous health and safety standards, and heavy logistics. They are packing, prepping, bagging, loading vans, and serving meals with big smiles every single day.”
“The success of the summer meal program would not be possible without the departments coming together.” Mrs. Quire continues, “Our administrators, superintendent, technology, maintenance, and transportation teams all pitched in to deliver meals. Their dedication to serving our families never ceases to amaze me.”
Lastly, Mrs. Quire explains the impact of community support. “Our community partners are the key to our summer success. These partners handle on-site coordination, help promote the program, and create welcoming, safe spaces for children. It is a true community coalition working toward one goal: making sure no child in Woodford County goes hungry during the summer. I love that our kids know we’re here for them even when school’s out.”
As this significant milestone comes into fruition this week, Mrs. Quire has two special messages. She says, “I’d like to thank Janet Caudill, Assistant Food Service Coordinator, for running our summer operations. She has worked tirelessly to coordinate an extremely complicated program. Secondly, I want parents to know that there is zero stigma attached to these meals, and they are open to all children 18 years old and under – no income requirements, no paperwork, and no questions asked. When families participate, it builds a stronger, healthier community and ensures our district can maintain a robust nutrition program year-round.”
Mrs. Quire concludes, “When our kids are fed nourishing meals through the summer, they return to classrooms in August healthy, energized, and ready to learn. We are honored to serve our kids every day, whether school is in session or not.”
