Breakfast is served, lunch too, and best of all, it’s free to young people age 18 and under on weekdays thanks to the Summer Food Service Program.

The meals are served in the cafeteria of the Wiscasset Primary School at 146 Gardiner Road.

Cindy Rines of the Wiscasset School Department’s food service’s staff was busy Monday morning preparing meals for the first day. Nineteen kids were there for breakfast.

Rines, under the direction of Lorie Johnson, Wiscasset School System’s food services director, is in charge of preparing the meals. For the past six years, Rines has been the kitchen manager of the Wiscasset Middle School, although in September she’ll be managing the high school’s kitchen staff. She’s been a part of the food services department for 25 years.

“The summer program isn’t new but this is the first year that we’re preparing the meals here,” she said, adding that last summer the meals were provided by the Healthy Kids’ program of Damariscotta.

Breakfast is served from 8 to 8:30. The kids have their choice of three different milks; skim, 1 percent milk or skim chocolate along with three different fruits. They also have their choice of a bagel or cold cereal.

Lunch is served from 11:30 to noon. Rines said Monday’s menu included carrot and celery sticks along with a choice of  a  grilled cheese sandwich or a Smucker’s peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

All of the meals served are USDA approved and must include the three basic food groups. This means dairy, fruit and grain for breakfast. Requirements for lunch include one serving of milk, two or more servings of a fruit or vegetable, one serving of grain or bread and one serving of meat, or a meat alternative.

Along with the meals program, the Wiscasset Primary School is also hosting the Wiscasset Summer Rec. in addition to summer school for 34 elementary students.

The summer meals program is federally funded and administered by the state. It’s required of all communities offering summer recreation programs with a student enrollment of 50 percent or above that qualify for free or reduced lunch.

Rines said the meals are available to everyone 18 years or younger. There’s no eligibility requirement or application needed. The program runs until Aug. 21 and is sponsored by the MSAD School Dept. Food Service Program. Last summer 1,124 lunch and 767 breakfast meals were served in Wiscasset.

For more information or to volunteer contact: Cindy Rines, MSAD Food Service Supervisor at 882-6377 or crines@wiscassetschools.org.