Lunch Program Keeps Children’s Bellies Full During Summer Break

For the fourth year in a row, The Salvation Army in Weyburn, Sask., is organizing a Summer Lunch program for children. According to Community Ministries Worker, Nicole Strickland, this initiative tackles food insecurity by filling the gap during summer break.

“Our main goal is to provide children with the lunch that they would normally get at school. We run it in July and August, Monday to Friday,” Nicole says.

“Our main goal is to provide children with the lunch that they would normally get at school.”

On days the program is active, Salvation Army volunteers meet early to prepare meals. These are transported to a designated meeting location around noon, where families can come and pick up their children’s meals. The volunteers remain at the spot until they run out of lunches.

Anyone is welcome to receive a lunch as it is first come, first serve. The program feeds around 100 children daily. Meals are usually either a sandwich or a pizza slice accompanied by fruits, vegetables, dessert and a juice box.

Nicole says that for volunteers, one of the most rewarding parts of this program is seeing the delight on children’s faces when The Salvation Army pulls up.

“We get to see a lot of the same kids every day, and they come running up to greet us. They are all very excited.”

For parents, such as Mary (not her real name), the lunches help deal with the high cost of groceries.

“I love the program and my children love coming. It helps me a lot with my food budget,” Mary shares.

As The Salvation Army prepares for the Summer Lunch program, they are looking for people in the community to sponsor them, as the cost of meals is $500 per day. In previous years, the generosity of local businesses and families has allowed them to provide this service.

“I love the program and my children love coming. It helps me a lot with my food budget.”

This year, the Army hopes to add another location to serve meals. They are working on getting permission from the city to do so.

“We are looking into the possibility of making two stops. I think it would be nice to hit the two major low-income spots in the city,” Nicole adds.

By Juan Romero