By DONNA KENNY KIRWAN

PAWTUCKET — At a time when the economy is forcing more people to turn to food pantries and soup kitchens, a School Committee member wants to make sure city residents are aware of a breakfast option for public school children.

School Committeewoman Joanne Bonollo, who is chairman of the Pawtucket Wellness Committee, said she wants to remind parents of the universal free breakfast program that is available at all of the city’s public schools. Unlike the free or reduced lunch program, there is no application process or tie in with income or other hardship. Students can simply arrive at school early and help themselves to a variety of hot and cold breakfast items.
Bonollo said that a discussion came up at a recent Wellness Committee meeting about the level of poverty in the city, and the fact that the current economic turmoil has caused many families to face financial hardship for perhaps the first time. “I want more people to know that this program is available,” said Bonollo. “These are changing times, and I just want to make sure that our kids are taken care of.”
Solange Morrissette, General Manager of Sodexo Education Services, echoed Bonollo’s remarks, saying the breakfast program is “simple, free and under-utilized.” Unlike the free and reduced school lunch program, which services about 70 percent of the city’s school children, there is only about a 22 percent participation in the breakfast program.
Morrissette said that all of the city’s schools, from elementary to high school level, offer hot and cold breakfast items
fifteen minutes before school starts. The student can simply just come in, have breakfast, and present their identification number to the lunch room clerk. The federal government reimburses the School District in whole for the breakfast of any student who is qualified for the free or reduced lunch program. There is also a partial reimbursement for the breakfast of any student who is not considered eligible for the free or reduced lunch program.
“There is some expense to the School Department for the breakfast program,” Morrissette allows. “However, we’d certainly like to feed more kids. We encourage as many students as possible to come in and eat breakfast, because it helps keep their energy up, which is important for learning,” she said.
All of the schools offer standard items such as cereal, honey wheat bars, yogurt and bagels. In addition, the schools also have a rotating menu of hot items such as whole wheat French toast and pancakes for the younger students, and breakfast sandwiches for the older students.
Morrissette said that the universal free breakfast program was adopted by the School District around four years ago. However, she said she thinks there are many parents and students who either don’t know about it or who think there is an application process involved, similar to the lunch program.
Bonollo said she also wants to get the word out to families who might be struggling that applications are still available for the federally funded free and reduced lunch programs. Anyone who wants more information should contact the school principal at any of the city’s schools, she said.
According to Morrissette, in a family with multiple siblings at different schools, only one application is necessary. If the application is approved, all of the children at the various schools would be eligible to receive a free or reduced lunch.