As the school year comes to an end, the Murfreesboro City Schools Nutrition Department is gearing up to feed children across the city through their Summer Food Service Program.

Three buses will distribute food to 27 feeding sites over the summer months. The original Combating Hunger on Wheels Bus (CHOW Bus), Farm 2 School Bus and the CHOW Bus XL will be hitting the pavement in an effort to provide easier access to healthy and nutritious meals for students age 18 and under during the summer break.

"Hunger doesn't know the school schedule," says Sandy Scheele, nutrition supervisor for Murfreesboro City Schools. "We have children that are in need in our community. These buses allow us to effectively do our jobs and reach them all year round."

The summer feeding program served around 48,000 breakfasts and 56,000 lunches last summer.

In addition to school cafeterias and several area churches serving as summer feeding sites for breakfast and lunch, the CHOW buses allow meals to be served to areas of Murfreesboro that are not in walking distance of a permanent site.

This will be the fourth year meals are provided via the "CHOW Bus" program and the 15th year for the MCS summer feeding program. The program will run May 30 through July 28. For a list of participating locations, dates and times of meals, visit cityschools.net

The Tennessee Department of Human Services administers the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) under an agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Free meals will be available to children 18 years of age and under without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, age or handicap.

Children do not have to register in advance, simply stop by any of the locations at the designated times to enjoy a healthy meal.

Murfreesboro City Schools is a district of twelve schools committed to the academic and personal success of each child.