Chester Community School District 139

CHS FREE FOOTBALL BROADCAST
Tonight, Chester High School will host our multiplatform football game broadcast, streaming simultaneously on Hudl, YouTube, and Facebook. For your convenience, QR codes are included in the attached graphics, and the links are provided below. We invite you to join us for this exciting event!
Go Jackets!

Hudl: https://fan.hudl.com/usa/il/chester/organization/14289/chester-high-school
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChesterHighSchoolIL
Facebook: Chester Community Unit School Dist No 139

In the event of any issues with the Facebook Live feed, we encourage you to utilize one of the alternative platforms available. Thank you for your understanding.

USDA “Sun Meals To-Go” program was huge success (2 of 2)
District # 139 provided 9,100 meals per week throughout the summer of 2025
BY JIM BEERS
Superintendent Briggs said, “Since arriving in Chester, I’ve wanted to bring a program like this to our community, because I saw a real need. This year that vision became a reality. After receiving program approval on May 15th, we launched our registration. Within just a few days, we grew from 40 registered children to 695 children. On our very first day of service, we were able to feed 600 kids. It has been a true blessing and an honor to lead this effort.”
Briggs noted that when numbers surged so quickly, she knew that the program would need community support on delivery and distribution days. She then reached out to the school organizations and the broader community for help.
Briggs said, “The outpouring of volunteers was overwhelming and deeply appreciated. We had support from Buena Vista Bank, Dairy Queen, Pepsi Cola, First Baptist Church, teacher groups, our YellowJacket Football team, and our Lady Jacket Volleyball Team. Their willingness to step in and serve has been another powerful reminder of how special our community is and how much people care about supporting local families.”
The Sun Meals To-Go Program is part of the USDA’s Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). This program supports low-income and underserved communities by ensuring children continue to receive healthy meals when school is not in session. Since its launch in 2023, the program has expanded to cover 30 states, including Illinois.
When asked if the District would do the program again next summer, Briggs said, “We hope to do it again. The parents approved of it and it benefits the community. By bringing the program to the community, we are not only addressing food insecurity, we are also showing families that their children matter, even when school is out. This initiative reflects the heart of our community and the dedication of our staff and volunteers who make it all possible!”

PHOTO 4 Loading Cars
Volunteers load food items into the vehicles at the last stop of the food distribution process. Jim Beers Photo

PHOTO 5 Briggs and Eggemeyer
District # 139 Superintendent Kimberly Briggs (left) and Carrie Eggemeyer, Program Coordinator/Manager (right), pose for a quick photo in front of the James F. Sharp Cafeteria at Chester High School. That is the location where the 2025 USDA "Sun Meals To-Go" program was housed and implemented throughout the summer of 2025. Briggs was instrumental in finding and creating the program and Eggemeyer was the Summer of 2025 Program Manager. Throughout the summer the program provided 9.100 meals each week to program recipients. Jim Beers Photo

USDA “Sun Meals To-Go” program was huge success (1 of 2)
District # 139 provided 9,100 meals per week throughout the summer of 2025
BY JIM BEERS
District # 139 Superintendent of Schools Kimberly Briggs said, “Our district was proud to participate in the USDA’s Sun Meals To-Go program, a federally funded initiative designed to reduce food insecurity during the summer months. Through this program, we were able to provide free, nutritious, meals to ALL children ages 1-18, with no application or income verification required!”
On top of these amazing facts, children that came for meals did not have to be enrolled in the Chester School District. They could have even been residing anywhere in the State of Illinois.
The program was organized and coordinated at the Dr. James F. Sharp Cafeteria at Chester High School. Food items were distributed in a smoothly functioning drive through system that brought automobiles in Chester High School’s back parking lot, off of Rt. 150, up to a check-in station at the corner.
From there, cars were directed to the buss driveway along Colbert Memorial Gymnasium in between the pickle ball, tennis, and basketball courts. When they arrived at the CHS kitchen and bus porch area, they were greeted by program volunteers who loaded their vehicles with the food items.
The program was offered each Tuesday and Friday throughout the summer beginning June 10th and ending August 5. Pick-up times were from 11 am till 1:00 p.m. Potential clients could come to the Chester High School Dr. James F. Sharp Cafeteria Monday mornings from 8 am till 12 p.m. to register and receive a card to hang on their vehicle mirrors verifying that they were part of the program.
Each child registered for the program received 7-days of breakfasts and lunches each week. The following format describes the distribution schedule.
Each Tuesday each child received a half gallon of milk, 3 breakfasts, and 3 lunches
Each Friday each child received a half gallon of milk, 4 breakfasts, and 4 lunches
The Meals To-Go program is a non-congregate option. That means that the meals did not need to be eaten on the program site. In his case, at the James F. Sharp Cafeteria. Meals were picked up Tuesdays and Fridays and taken home or elsewhere. The child registered did not have to be present at pickup time. Parents could even designate another adult to pick up the meals. This fact offered flexibility for working parents and those who live in rural of hard-to-reach areas.
Program Manager, Carrie Eggemeyer said, “The program ran very well throughout the summer. Each delivery day we provided meals for 500 to 650 children. Superintendent Briggs requited volunteers for each session some of which included the CHS Football Team, Volleyball Team, members of the First Baptist Church, the Chester Rotary Club, the Chester Dairy Queen Staff, Chester High School students, Chester Early Childhood Center staff, and 2nd grade teachers at CGS.”

Photo 1 Staff
Pictured are USDA "Sun Meals To-Go" staff inside the James F. Sharp Cafeteria at Chester High School. Food bags were filled and arranged for delivery at that location. (left to right) are Michele McConnell, Carrie Eggemeyer, Program Manager, and Brandie Stefani. Jim Beers Photo

Photo 2 Football Team Volunteers
Members of the Chester High School YellowJacket Football Team volunteered to assist on delivery days during the summer USDA "Sun Meals To-Go" program. With the team is Head Coach, Billy Belton and family members. Jim Beers Photo

PHOTO 3
Carrie Eggemeyer, Program Manager, checks clients in at the first stop in the delivery process. From her station vehicles were directed to the driveway leading to the CHS kitchen-bus porch area where staff greeted them and loaded their food items in their vehicles. Jim Beers Photo