Our Opinion: Food 4 Kids fills need when school's out

We applaud the community volunteers who are helping to feed area children this summer.

Again this year, volunteers gather daily at a local church to assemble lunches to be distributed to young people at scheduled drop-off locations.

Based on current activity, the Food 4 Kids program is expected to feed more than an 3,500 children before it ends in mid-August.

The program is designed to provide nutritious lunches to children under 18 between the time when summer school ends on June 29 and the new school year begins on Aug. 18.

The lunches include a sandwich, fruit and a snack, like a granola bar or a cookie.

This year, volunteers representing seven area churches and one business gather each day to assemble about 120 sandwiches and pack the lunch sacks.

The work is done at First Presbyterian Church, now in its fourth year of hosting the program. Previously, volunteers gathered at First United Methodist Church.

Cash donations help the volunteers pay for the bread, meat and condiments to assemble about 120 sandwiches each day. The Food Bank of Central and Northeast Missouri provides the non-perishable items.

The lunches are delivered to children at four designated locations - a church, a mobile home park and two playgrounds. If the number of children exceeds the number of lunches, volunteers will provide a snack pack - instant macaroni and cheese, peanut butter crackers and granola bars - so no child goes without a meal.

The program is designed to feed school-aged children, who often are eligible for free or reduced-price school lunches, when school is not in session.

Sue Gray, Food 4 Kids volunteer coordinator, said: "A volunteer said to me that when our school district is at 50 percent free and reduced lunch, you know there is a need over the summer. I really think there are hungry kids in this town."

The Food 4 Kids volunteers are sharing their time, energy and contributions to fill that need by providing nutritious meals to children in our community.