BELCHERTOWN — The Summer Eats program will return to Belchertown for July and August despite a previous decision to suspend of the program for the season.

Summer Eats is a state-administered, federally-funded food security program that provides free lunch for children under 18 years old during the summer months. From July 6 to Aug. 21, children can pick up a free lunch at 59 State St. on weekdays from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

On June 1, Belchertown Public Schools announced in a Facebook post that the program was cancelled until further notice. School Committee Chair Heidi Gutekenst told the Gazette that not enough people had applied to staff the program, and that finding a suitable location proved more challenging than anticipated.

The state had awarded Belchertown nearly $9,000 in grant funds to support the program. Gutekenst said the district needed to submit an application to access the funds. Without the logistics worked out, the district could not meet the application deadline.

However, Belchertown Public Schools was able to get an extension. Over the last month, Superintendent Brian Cameron worked with Food Services Director Diane Zak to hire staff, designated Chestnut Hill Community School as the pickup location, and successfully submit the application, Gutekenst said.

“I couldn’t be more grateful to members of the community that helped make this possible,” Gutekenst said.

Cameron said in an email to caregivers that providing access to healthy meals for children during the summer is a priority for the district.

“Despite initial challenges related to funding, staffing, and operations, we are pleased to share that those obstacles have been addressed and the program will once again be available to families in our community,” he wrote.

The summer menu includes hot dogs, barbeque chicken sandwiches, pizza, chicken nuggets and ham-and-cheese sandwiches. All lunches come with vegetables, fruit and milk. Each pickup also includes a bagged breakfast for the following morning.