Children Aubree Curtis, left to right, Ashlynn and Charlotte Ramsey accept meals from the RSU 10 summer meal delivery at the Ramsey’s home in the Strathglass Park development in Rumford on Monday. Curtis is a neighbor who also lives in the development. Mom Amber Ramsey looks on as she tends to her son, Landon Ramsey. The district provides summer meal delivery to 50 to 60 children and teens up to age 18 who live in the development. Marianne Hutchinson/Rumford Falls Times

RUMFORD — Money from an estate, a Maine nonprofit and a native son are helping provide meals for up to 700 children and teens in seven towns this summer, Regional School Unit 10 Nutrition Director Jeanne Lapointe said Monday.

She said school administrators continue to work on ways to keep the meals rolling to those in Rumford, Mexico, Roxbury, Hanover, Buckfield, Sumner and Hartford.

June Hostetter of the Regional School Unit 10 nutrition staff carries meals to families in Strathglass Park in Rumford on Monday as district Nutrition Director Jeanne Lapointe visits with a family. Marianne Hutchinson/Rumford Falls Times

“Eventually we’ll want to be able to support enrichment programs or delivery systems that keep this summer meal program sustainable,” she said.

This year, the school nutrition program received $10,000 from the estate of Shelton and Jean Noyes, who were from the Rangeley area, as well as Jean Noyes, a Rumford native. The money is to maintain three vans for summer meal deliveries and expand and support the feeding program.

“The Noyes made it clear that they wanted the community to know that they gave this gift to the school nutrition program,” Lapointe said. The money won’t be used as much to pay for food because the district receives funding through a federal program to feed children ages 18 and younger, she said.

Another gift came in September 2019, a $25,000 donation from John Beliveau and his family, also natives of Rumford, to buy a van for food deliveries .

And a third source of revenue is Full Plates Full Potential, a Maine nonprofit organization giving emergency funds to schools forced to close because of the coronavirus pandemic this year.

“They are doing some amazing things,” Lapointe said. The donation is helping with staffing needs and supplies.

The nutrition program has developed delivery routes to get meals to 450-500 children in the Rumford, Mexico, Roxbury and Hanover, and to 150-200 children Buckfield, Sumner and Hartford. Summer delivery days are Monday and Thursday with stops beginning at 8:15 a.m. at some locations and ending at 12:30 p.m. at others.

mhutchinson@sunmediagroup.net