Summer is finally here, and students can leave their classrooms. However, despite the joys of the summer holidays, many students in Selma may be lacking one basic necessity, something which they normally took for granted while in school. That necessity is lunch.

To ensure that students receive proper nutrition during the summer break, the City of Selma, along with the Selma City School System, through sponsorship from the State Department of Education and the United States Department of Agriculture, has created the Summer Food Service Program to feed Selma’s youth.

The program will be offering free lunches in 15 different locations throughout Selma, said Jackie Smith, the program’s administrator.

The locations chosen, she said, were in areas where at least 50 percent of students received free or reduced price lunches at their school.

Lunches, she said, will be provided for all those who are 18 years of age and younger at a cost of $1.99 per lunch. “This is totally non-discriminatory, and all those who are in that age group are welcome to come,” said Smith.

The lunches will be offered from 11 a.m. to noon, Monday through Friday, until July 29, Smith said, with all locations also being closed during the July 4 holiday.

Smith said the State Department of Education, through the USDA, has provided approximately $90,000 to fund the program. “Since this is such an important service, all costs of running the program will be reimbursed,” Smith said.