About 800 children ate lunch this summer, because of the Renton School District.

The 10-week program, which served an average of 800 meals a day, almost doubled last year’s count

“There is that need for food, but there is also the community feel to it,” said Kira Acker, the district’s nutrition services manager. “It became a really nice social time for kids and families.”

Volunteers served meals at about 20 sites, including churches, youth centers and parks, she said. “They came out and down to the cabana at the apartment complexes.”

Three elementary schools also participated, Acker said. “The City of Renton really did try to locate the high-need areas.”

The food is only for kids under 18, she said. “Parents can’t participate, which is hard.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture pays for most, if not all of the cost, through the Summer Food Service Program, reimbursing the district by the lunch.

There isn’t a cap to the number of meals districts can serve, Acker said, “as long as you’re following all the rules.”

The program also provided part time work to six school district employees and a driver, she said. “Most of the transportation was done by the sites themselves.”

This summer the district tried to serve more than traditional sack-lunch sandwiches. Some days they served yogurt and graham cracker snack packs, and a favorite among kids was the chicken shaker salads.

Taking advice from an onboard dietician, Acker has been pushing for changes in school district lunch program.

“We tried to mix it up as much as we could,” she said, “kind of changing the idea of school lunch.”

During the normal school year, Acker has introduced more meatless options and salad entrees twice a week, she said.

“She has completely turned our food service around,” said spokesperson Randy Matheson. “She’s done great things with bringing healthier foods to our program.”

The program continues to change.

“I’d like to someday partner with local farms, but at this point we haven’t ventured down that road yet,” Acker said.