Kids summer lunch program with activities succeeds in first year

[July 20, 2017]  LINCOLN - During the summer of 2017 various groups and volunteers have come together to provide meals and activities for families. The Lincoln Junior High School is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays this year in the months of June and July, where all children 18 and under who attend will be given a free lunch. Adult parents may also eat at a cost of $3.

Carissa Akpore, Logan County 4-H

The program offers optional activities prior to the lunch hour in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) on Tuesdays before lunch is served. These activities are led by volunteers from the University of Illinois-Extension 4-H program at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesdays. Thursdays feature exercise activities with the Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital and their summer CATCH program.

According to Marsha Dallas, who coordinates volunteers for the lunches, the program was started by Rob Harmon, who approached the District 27 School Board with an idea to provide lunch and activities for children in the summertime. Harmon said that the school board approved of the idea, provided that Harmon help find volunteers needed to run the program. The program is funded by the State Board of Education and the United States Department of Agriculture.

“There’s been an amazing reaction from the community,” said Harmon. Harmon said that in addition to the First Presbyterian Church, volunteers from the Immanuel Lutheran Church, and individuals in the community have stepped forward asking if they can volunteer as well. Harmon estimated that on average, there have been around one hundred people coming in for the lunches, with a smaller number of children attending the activities.

There are three remaining days before the program ends for the summer – Thursday, July 20th, Tuesday, the 25th, and Thursday the 27th.

[Derek Hurley]