Summer Lunch Program Ensures Children in Lindsay Get a Healthy Mid-Day Meal
Food insecurity continues to be impacting individuals and families across Ontario, and The Salvation Army remains an innovative partner to help bring an end to empty bellies. Children should never have to go hungry, so The Salvation Army and its partners in Lindsay are bringing lunch to neighbourhoods where they are needed most.
Last year, the Summer Lunch Program provided 328 free meals. This year, the program runs from June 16 to August 20, every Wednesday and Friday, at two grade schools. All elementary aged children are welcome to pick up a free, healthy and nutritious lunch, no questions asked. Each meal contains a sandwich or wrap, fruit and vegetables, cheese, or yogurt and a healthy baked good.
“This year we started with 24 lunches per week, but we have increased that to 30 per week to meet demand,” says Janet Rodin, community ministries coordinator at The Salvation Army Community Church in Lindsay. “Each week, as children and parents learn of the program, the number increases. Last year we ended up averaging 48 lunches.”
“Some children are waiting at the school when volunteers arrive, so they can guarantee they get lunch”
Statistics from 2020 indicate that 13.1 percent of households in the City of Kawartha Lakes are considered low-income. Children from birth to age 17 make up 16.5 per cent of people living in a low-income household, compared to 13.2 per cent of adults aged 18-64 and 10.7 per cent of adults over age 65.
“Usually, we serve meals at six or seven locations, but due to COVID-19 restrictions we are only serving at two locations,” says Rodin. “The two schools were chosen because households in the surrounding neighbourhoods are known to have more children, on average, and are home to families receiving social assistance or are considered low-income.”
Rodin said the demand for meals is having a major impact in reducing the number of children going hungry in the community.
“Some ask for two lunches on Friday so they know they will have something to eat on Saturday”
“Some children are waiting at the school when volunteers arrive, so they can guarantee they get lunch. Children have said they like the food they receive, and parents have expressed gratitude that they do not have to figure out how to provide lunch on distribution days,” says Rodin. “There are some children that attend every Wednesday and Friday all summer long. Some ask for two lunches on Friday so they know they will have something to eat on Saturday.”
All the meals are prepared in The Salvation Army kitchen. Social distancing rules and other pandemic safety protocols are in place at the schools. Any leftover meals are brought to A Place Called Home, a 19-bed family shelter founded in downtown Lindsay in 1995.
The Summer Lunch Program began in 2018 when several agencies, including The Salvation Army, joined forces to keep children from going hungry during the summer months.
By Chris McGregor
