SALISBURY — Buses and trucks will roll out across Rowan County on Wednesday on a mission to fill bellies and draw communities together.

The Summer Feeding Program, run by Rowan-Salisbury Schools, will have eight new sites and an extra mobile “Yum Yum” bus this year.

The program is funded through U.S. Department of Agriculture grants and is free to local systems, said Meredith Honeycutt of Rowan-Salisbury Child Nutrition. Thanks to that funding, the district is able to “bridge the gap” between the end of one school year and the start of the next.

“It’s a wonderful service to our community,” Honeycutt said.

About 63 percent of all Rowan-Salisbury students are eligible for free and reduced-price lunch, and many students receive meals only when they’re at school. For these children and families, summer vacation represents a long, hot stretch of not knowing where the next meal is coming from.

This year, the district is expanding its reach and targeting areas it hasn’t visited in the past. Roughly eight stops have been added to the list of more than 100 sites.

Starting Wednesday, Enochville Elementary School will join three other Rowan-Salisbury Schools — North Rowan Elementary, Knox Middle and Granite Quarry Elementary — in opening its doors to provide students a safe place to eat lunch.

“We were physically trying to fill a void in that area,” Honeycutt said of Enochville. “We kind of struggle sometimes in that south-southwestern area to find a site.”

Meals are free for children 18 and younger. According to USDA guidelines, they must be eaten on site under the watchful eye of a supervisor. Rowan-Salisbury Schools will operate 49 “open sites” where any child — regardless of whether they’re a public school student or not — can eat free of charge.

Roughly half of those are “mobile sites” made possible by the district’s two buses. The first Yum-Yum bus will have its third birthday this year. The brightly painted, repurposed school bus features diner-like counters inside as well as air conditioning. It serves the most rural and isolated neighborhoods in the county.

This year, a second bus will be added thanks to a donation from Fred Stanback. Honeycutt estimates that the bus will have a complete makeover and be up and running by Wednesday.

While some sites are determined by the school system, others come about thanks to eagle-eyed advocates. The feeding program will make a stop at apartments near West End Plaza this year thanks to a resident who contacted the school.

“We had a citizen call and say they thought there were kids back there and they weren’t being served,” Honeycutt said.

Sure enough, after consulting with the transportation department, Child Nutrition learned that more than 30 children live in an area that isn’t close to any other Summer Feeding Program stop.

Honeycutt and others say that this is a trend throughout the summer, and organizers work hard to add stops to ensure that no child goes hungry during the long break.

Some things, however, don’t work out. Last year, Child Nutrition tried to send home weekend bags of food each Friday at a number of its sites. But running that program alongside the Summer Feeding Program proved to be too much, too fast.

This year, Rowan-Salisbury Schools is partnering with Rowan Helping Ministries, which runs the backpack program during the school year, and is providing backpacks at two locations — St. Peter’s Lutheran Church and Millers Ferry Fire Department.

“We’re kind of scaling back and revamping it a bit and giving it to (Rowan Helping Ministries),” Honeycutt said.

Hopefully, the school system will be able to scale up the program again in coming years. In the meantime, Honeycutt and others know that at least students are getting two meals a day, five days a week.

“We’re really, really excited about feeding the students this summer,” she said.

Here is a schedule for the Summer Feeding Program:

Community sites
• At the Cross Ministries, 201 W. D Ave., June 19-Aug. 2, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays only, lunch, 11:15 a.m.
• City Park Recreation Center, 316 Lake Drive, June 13-Aug. 16, lunch, 12:15 p.m.
• Clancy Hills Apartments, 100 Clancy St., June 13-Aug. 16, lunch, 11:15 a.m.
• Emmanuel Youth Experience, 306 Barbour St., East Spencer, June 18-June 22 and July 23-Aug. 16, breakfast and lunch, 8 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.
• Enochville Elementary School, 925 N. Enochville Ave., China Grove, June 14-Aug. 16, Tuesdays and Thursdays only, lunch, 11:30 a.m.
• First Presbyterian Church, 308 W. Fisher St., June 13-Aug. 16, lunch, 12:40 p.m.
• Granite Quarry Elementary, 118 S. Walnut GQ St., June 19-Aug. 9, Tuesdays and Thursdays only, lunch, 11:30 a.m.
• Keep in Touch Ministries, Brenner Crossing Apartments, 610 Hall St., June 13-Aug. 16, lunch, 11 a.m.
• Knox Middle School, 1625 Park Road W., June 18-Aug. 10, Monday-Thursday, breakfast and lunch, 8:45 am. and 12:20 p.m.
• Miller Recreation Teen Center, 1402 W. Bank St., June 13-Aug. 16, lunch, 12:15 p.m.
• Miller’s Ferry Fire Department, 2650 Long Ferry Road, June 13-Aug. 16, lunch, 11:15 p.m.
• North Rowan Elementary, 600 Charles St., Spencer, June 26-Aug. 16, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday only, lunch, 11 a.m.
• Patterson Farm Market, 10390 Caldwell Road, Mount Ulla, June 13-Aug. 16, lunch, noon.
• Rowan Housing Authority, Grant Street Community Center, 300 Grant St., East Spencer, June 18-Aug. 16, breakfast and lunch, 8:30 a.m. and 11:30 p.m.
• Rowan Housing Authority, Running Brook Community Center, 2200 Running Brook Drive, Kannapolis, June 18-Aug. 16, breakfast and lunch, 9:25 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.
• S&H Youth and Adult Services, 714 S. Main St., June 18-Aug. 16, breakfast and lunch, 9:10 a.m. and 11:35 a.m.
• Salisbury Housing, 1042 E. Lafayette St., June 13-Aug. 16, breakfast and lunch, 9 a.m. and noon.
• Salisbury Housing, Linn Lane Apartments shelter, June 13-Aug. 16, lunch, noon.
• Salisbury Housing, Brookview Apartments, 711 S. MLK Jr. Ave., June 13-Aug. 16, lunch, 1 p.m.
• Salisbury Housing, Pine Hill Apartments, 410 W. 15th St., June 13-Aug. 16, breakfast and lunch, 9:40 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.
• St. Peter’s Lutheran Church Hut, 2510 St. Peter’s Church Road, June 13-Aug. 16, lunch, noon.
• The Salvation Army, 620 Bringle Ferry Road, June 13-Aug. 16, lunch, 11:45 a.m.
• Salisbury Civic Center, 315 S. MLK Jr. Ave., June 13-Aug. 16, lunch, 12:45 p.m.
• J. Fred Corriher Jr. YMCA, 950 Kimball Road, China Grove, June 13-Aug. 16, breakfast and lunch, 8:30 a.m. and 11:10 a.m.
• Saleeby-Fisher YMCA, 790 Crescent Road, Rockwell, June 13-Aug. 16, breakfast and lunch, 7:40 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.
• Save the Children Community Center, 102 S. Long St., East Spencer, June 13-Aug. 16, breakfast and lunch, 8:15 a.m. and 11:45 a.m.
• J.F. Hurley YMCA, 828 Jake Alexander Blvd. W, June 13-Aug. 16, breakfast and lunch, 8:20 a.m. and 11:45 a.m.
• West Rowan Neighborhood Center, 216 Krider St., Cleveland, June 13-Aug. 16, breakfast and lunch, 8:15 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

Mobile meals
• Ashley’s Mobile Home Park, Cedar Drive and Ashley Drive, June 13-Aug. 16, lunch, 11:45 a.m.
• Benchmark Apartments, 848 Lillian St., China Grove, June 13-Aug. 16, lunch, 12:35 p.m.
• Campbell Road and Spring Meadow Drive, Woodleaf, June 13-Aug. 16, lunch, 10 a.m.
• Cedar Glen Mobile Home Park, Cedar Glen Circle, Cleveland, June 13-Aug. 16, lunch, 11:40 a.m.
• Deer Park Apartments, 300 Academy St., Cleveland, June 13-Aug. 16, lunch, 12:05 p.m.
• Dunnsview Drive and Harris Granite Road, June 13-Aug. 16, lunch, 10:45 a.m. (two stops in community)
• Harrison Road and Independence Driver, June 13-Aug. 16, lunch, 10:30 a.m.
• Lowder Mobile Home Park North, 225 U.S. 29 North, China Grove, lunch, 1 p.m.
• Lowder Mobile Home Park South, 320 U.S. 29 South, China Grove, lunch, 12:30 p.m.
• Matika Mobile Home Park, Airport Road and Sarah Ellen Lane, June 13-Aug. 16, lunch, 10 a.m.
• Mobile Village Mobile Home Park, 228 Dollie Circle, June 13-Aug. 16, lunch, 12:30 p.m.
• Needmore Road and Erwin Temple Church Road, Woodleaf, June 13-Aug. 16, lunch, 11:15 a.m.
• Oak Haven Mobile Home Park, 775 Airport Roard, June 13-Aug. 16, 11 a.m.
• Oak Mountain Mobile Home Park, Oak Mountain and Goodnight roads, lunch, 11:15 a.m.
• Peach Orchard Road and Ridge Street, June 13-Aug. 16, lunch, 11:45 a.m.
• Pearl Street Apartments, Pearl Street and Morlan Park Road, June 13-Aug. 16, lunch, 11:15 a.m. (two stops in community)
• Rowan County Health Department, 1811 E Innes. St., June 15 & 29, July 13 & 27 and Aug. 10, lunch, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
• 140 Titan Drive, June 13-Aug. 16, lunch, 11:15 a.m.
• Town Court Mobile Home Park, Mooresville Road and Town Court, June 13-Aug. 16, lunch, 10:15 a.m.
• Westridge Place and Westridge Village Apartments, 100 Donner Drive, June 13-Aug. 16, lunch, noon.
• Woodleaf Mobile Home Park, N.C. 801 and Wrangler Road, Woodleaf, June 13-Aug. 16, lunch, 10:30 a.m.

Contact reporter Rebecca Rider at 704-797-4264.