Summer lunch now serving meals
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July 13, 2017
Diana Zimmerman
While kids ate macaroni and cheese, the volunteers at the Wahkiakum Summer Lunch program waited to serve new arrivals or second helpings.
Volunteers are serving meals for the Wahkiakum Summer Lunch program Mondays thru Thursdays at noon in the J.A. Wendt Multipurpose room until August 16.
The program started on July 5, and volunteers noted that every day a few more kids turn up for the meal.
A rotation of cooks make hot lunches on Tuesdays and Thursdays. They serve sandwiches on Wednesdays and brunch on Mondays.
Diana Zimmerman
Every youngster that finished their vegetables was entered into a drawing for some candy. Volunteers Laila and Sarai Abdul Kariem talked to Robin Westphall, who brought some sweet peas and beets from the Wahkiakum School Garden, while they waited for the drawing to begin.
On Monday, some of the kids got their very first introduction to bagels, which tickled Danielle Hobbs, who began the program last year. The program relied on reimbursements from the USDA for funding that year, and the USDA was very selective about which foods they were willing to cover. This year, Hobbs and her helpers are relying on private donations from local residents, which allows them to be more creative with their meal planning, and make sure that every child gets their fill.
"We had to wait and see what kind of support we had in the community," Hobbs said. "We have been tremendously blessed, because no one here wants to see kids go hungry. It has been wonderful."
The Wahkiakum School Garden has provided some produce for meals, and volunteers are trying to make eating vegetables more fun for kids by making a game out of it.
Hobbs will be leaving in August, when her husband, Theron, the pastor at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church, takes a new post in Des Moines, Iowa. They will likely miss the last week of the lunch program.
"It's a huge blessing to see something grow and take on a life of its own," Hobbs said. "People have found that this is a worthwhile thing to do."
To volunteer or donate to the Wahkiakum Summer Lunch Program, contact Danielle Hobbs at wahkiakumsummerfood@gmail.com or 849-4313.
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