The USD 257 Summer Meals program is in full swing. Many families are utilizing the free breakfasts and lunches for children up to age 18. Meals are available Monday through Thursday at several locations.
This program is vital to our community. With over 60% of school children qualifying for free and reduced lunch, its worth emphasizing that without this program, many children wouldnt get much to eat during the summer months.
One way you can help keep this program sustainable is to use it. If your children are old enough, let them walk or ride their bikes to the high school, McKinley Elementary, or starting July 8 Jefferson Elementary. Or they can go meet MARV at one of his many locations and have breakfast or lunch there. They can play at the playgrounds afterward, ride bicycles and go exploring, or make plans with friends for a pick-up game of softball or a trip to the pool. Not only do they have breakfast and lunch, but they get to connect with school friends they might not get a chance to see otherwise.
One would think that feeding kids over the summer would be a simple thing. But with the high cost of rent, utilities, childcare, gas and other necessities, everyone, including many working parents, has a hard time making ends meet. If taking that burden from parents for a few months out of the summer helps kids get the nutrition they need and allows families a substantial evening meal, no one should complain.
Even with this program, kids still go hungry. I was at the Humanity House office putting sealer on bricks a couple of Saturdays ago when a young boy knocked on the door. He asked if we had lunch that day. When I told him that I was just working on the bricks, he told me that because there were no meals served on Fridays, he hadnt eaten since Thursday afternoon. Moments like those make me so thankful for our kitchen. I took him inside and fixed him a plate of food. Because of the fumes inside, I had to ask him to eat outdoors, but he didnt mind a bit. When he was done, he handed me back the plate and gave me a big smile and his thanks.
Please dont ever kid yourself when you think hunger is not a reality for many in our community and across the country. Indeed, it is a travesty that in this, the wealthiest nation on the planet, we have so many who struggle with hunger and homelessness.
We have a hard time each month keeping our food pantry stocked, but having a kitchen to prepare a hot meal for anyone who comes in when our pantry is low has given us peace of mind. Prepared food donated from the Allen County Regional Hospital has also been a blessing for those who are homeless and have no way of cooking for themselves.
If you are so inclined, we can always use help filling our food pantry so we can send food home with families or have food on hand to prepare. If you need a calendar of times and locations for the Summer Meals program, we have those available in our office, too. You can also find the calendar on the USD 257 Facebook page and at www.usd257.org.
Help keep this program alive by using it, even if the only reason is to give your kids a chance to connect with school mates. Most of all, please keep in mind that times are hard for many of our families and be caring. Kindness Matters!
