BELCHERTOWN — Inadequate staffing is forcing the Belchertown School District to suspend the Summers Eats, a federally-funded program that provides free breakfast and lunch to families during the months when school is not in session.

Superintendent Brian Cameron made the announcement via a social media post on June 1. He cited staffing shortages and “operational and financial issues” as reasons behind the program’s postponement.

“We understand that this program provides an important service for many families, and we sincerely regret any inconvenience or hardship this decision may cause,” Cameron’s statement read. “Please know that this decision was not made lightly.”

Though funded with federal dollars, the Summer Food Service Program is a run through the state for families with children under 18.

Belchertown Public Schools will update families if the program is able to return this summer, as the cancellation is not guaranteed, School Committee Chair Heidi Gutekenst said.

The two closest Summer Eats sites to Belchertown will be in Ware and Amherst. In Ware, meals can be picked up at the Stanley M. Koziol School, 4 Gould Road, serves breakfast from 8 to 9 a.m. and lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. UMass Dining serves the meals at eight different locations listed on the Amherst website. Families do not need to live in these towns or attend their schools to enjoy a meal.

The Healey-Driscoll administration announced 55 organizations would receive $535,000 in grant funding for the Summer Eats program on May 18. Belchertown Public Schools was listed as one of the organizations, receiving just under $9,000.

Gutekenst said the school district never applied for the funds. Even with the grant awarded, Belchertown cannot meet several critical components of the program.

“It’s something that I hate to happen, but we can’t do it well, so we’re not going to run something that is going to put us in financial liability of future programming,” Gutekenst said.

According to Gutekenst, only three people applied for the 28 positions needed to run the program despite extensive recruiting. Volunteers, she said, cannot make up the difference.

“It needs to be people who understand food service, who are ServSafe certified,” Gutekenst said. “It cannot just be lay people with great hearts.”

Belchertown did not qualify for Summer Eats funding last year due a decrease in low-income residents. The area of jurisdiction initially included the Belchertown School Buildings, but the demographics changed in 2025.

This year, however, school district found a location in town that does qualify geographically for Summer Eats, Gutekenst said.

“I’d loved it coming back because we didn’t have it last year, but we couldn’t make it work.” Gutekenst said.