Buddy Pack distribution dates set in Russellville

Healthy foods will be sent home with children following a free family meal at City Park in Russellville 6-7 p.m. Tuesday.

The summer Buddy Pack program through the Central Missouri Food Bank is sponsored by the Russellville-Lohman Ministerial Alliance.

The community picnic and distribution will be repeated July 10 and 25 and Aug. 8.

In the Cole County R-1 School, nearly 240 children, or 40 percent of students, qualify for free- and reduced-price meals.

During the summer, these students may not have access to the same nutrition served at breakfast and lunch during the school year.

The Buddy Pack program sends similar healthy foods home in more than 30 backpacks for weekends and holidays during the school year.

The cost of a school-year Buddy Pack is $15 per month.

Russellville and Lohman congregations will collect food and hygiene products to fill the summer Buddy Packs. And donations will provide supplemental foods, including fresh fruit.

The Russellville summer Buddy Pack wishlist includes juice boxes, pop-top fruit cups, individual/microwaveable macaroni and cheese, 16-ounce plastic jars of creamy peanut butter, small jars of jelly, saltine crackers, butter crackers, granola bars, cheese and crackers, fruit Roll-ups, small boxes of cereal, pop-top canned soups, toaster pastries, pop-top canned meats, deodorant, soap, shampoo and conditioner and toothpaste.

Participating churches include Russellville Baptist, Corticelli Baptist, Trinity Lutheran, St. Paul's Lutheran, Cole Spring Baptist, St. Michael's Catholic, Russellville Methodist, Mt. Olive Baptist, Russellville Assembly of God and Enon Baptist churches.

Flyers about the community summer program were sent home with summer school students.

Donations to the Buddy Pack program may be mailed to: Tammy Goldammer, 2522 State Route U, Lohman, Mo., 65053.

Call 619-4110 for more information.

On the Web:

www.sharefoodbringhope.org/adoptabuddy