- Avery Martin
- 3 hours ago
Hunger is more than just lack of food, according to Missy Cipriano, Bread for Life executive director. So, while Southington children experiencing food insecurity are able to receive free lunch at Bread for Life’s summer lunch program, food is not the only thing on the menu.
“If we're just feeding a person, we're missing something else, and we don't want to be the agency that misses,” said Cirpriano.
Now in its second year at DePaolo Middle School, the program has provided lunches, entertainment and community resources to children who normally receive free or reduced lunch when school is in session. The 50-80 daily attendees can expect hour-long lunch periods on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays that include balanced meals and genuine connection with peers.
“They come here when they don't get free lunches like they do during the school year. Some of them are homeschooled,” said program director Summer Trovato. “It's mostly just families in need.”
It fills a need that Southington mother Rebecca Murauskas said is not met once school is out. She has five children between the ages of 8 months and 9 years and is a consistent client of Bread for Life’s programs. Murauskas said that it is a relief to know she can receive help to provide meals for her children.
“It provides lunch, which is really great because we're in between summer camps and then we come here, so it really helps out budget-wise,” said Murauskas. “We're low income, so anything that I don't have to put money into is a blessing.”
Another Southington mother, Jenni Melnik, brings her four children to the lunch program frequently. She said the meals provided, as well as the take-home snacks given to participants, have helped save money for her single-income household.
“It definitely helps with the grocery bill because groceries are through the roof right now. Even our normal budget is hard to keep to with four children,” said Melnik.
The food, entertainment and resources on offer at the lunch program are ever-changing. Cipriano and her team partner with community organizations to bring in new volunteers, health education and children’s activities.
Southington’s Valentine the Clown is a frequent attendee, and South Central Health District has sponsored yoga classes and given parents tips on providing healthy environments for their children.
“We're constantly rolling in partnerships to give people access to everything they need. That connectivity is huge in our mission statement,” said Cipriano.
On July 15, Southington High School football players played with kids while The Family Pizza Truck donated its time and resources to provide homemade pizza to the families.
Family Pizza Owner Angela Sinnott has worked with Bread for Life before, providing meals to various programs. She often offers her services and brick-oven pizza truck to Cipriano as a way of giving back to the town that has supported her small business.
“We try to do something with them at least once a year. So just to be able to serve our community, especially because we live in Southington, is great. Any time that we could do anything to be a blessing to them, we jump on the opportunity,” said Sinnott.
The need for the program is not small, according to Cipriano and staff. While the number of children and families attending the lunches fluctuates from one day to the next, there are always mouths to feed. According to data from the Connecticut State Department of Education, 27.4% of Southington students were eligible to receive free or reduced lunch at school during the 2025-26 school year.
Jenn Christian is the manager of food services at South End Elementary School and works alongside Cipriano and Trovato in the summers to provide meals to children in need. She said when school is out, the free or reduced lunch some students rely on is not available, and the summer lunch program works to fill in those gaps.
“I'd have to say that there is a big need, and I say that because I see them get lunches that are free, or lunches that are reduced,” said Christian. “I don't know what their household is like, but I know that there is obviously not a lot of money in the house because they're filling out that form that lets them have a free meal or reduced meal. So I'd have to say there's a big need.”
Despite the efforts made to rebrand Bread for Life programs from a soup kitchen to a hunger relief kitchen, Cipriano said that stereotypes and stigmas around seeking help still exist. But no matter the perception, the need for services like the summer lunch program exists everywhere, including in Southington.
“People want to think that any town, whether it's Southington, whether it's Greenwich, is safe from need or disparities, and that is a lie. There's no place that's safe because anybody's bottom can drop out at any time,” said Cirpriano. “This doesn't mean they're destitute or they're poor. Something happened, right? And once that happens, things can shift.”
