Summer Lunch Program Report
Kim Henderson, one of five coordinators and kitchen manager for the Barnesville Summer Lunch Program, penned the following heartfelt report:
“Using our former leader, Jean Cooper’s format, I amend the numbers and dates and submit The Summer Lunch Program’s status for 2025.
“On August 15th, we finished another summer of providing nutritious sack lunches for children in Barnesville, Bethesda, Belmont and Somerton.
“A big THANK YOU to all of you who helped make this possible! We served 275-310 lunches a day, about 1,465 per week, and a total of about 16,100 for the 11-week period. It took the combined efforts of the many financial contributions, 10-12 volunteers each day preparing sandwiches and filling bags, two faithful food buyers and six- to eight- drivers a day to get the lunches to the children. We seemed to always have just enough hands and skills to get the job done. Through the love and selfless giving from the community, God provided what was needed. Thank you to all who came to lend a hand, whether one day, or nearly every day. We had faithful workers from a pool of about 40 volunteers over the summer.
“A special word of appreciation goes to all who sent financial contributions, to the community organizations who sent volunteers, to the folks at Bethesda Christian Church who kept us supplied with bags of chips all summer, to the congregation at Somerton Community Church for taking on the lunch preparation and distribution for the families in Somerton and Malaga, to the medical businesses who donated gloves for our food prep and to all those who shared their used grocery bags (please keep saving, we’ll need them next year.)
“The Summer Lunch Program children and their families are grateful for all you have done to keep them fed this summer. God willing, we’ll be back June 1st, 2026, to do it all again!”
While this year’s program has ended, donations are always welcome. Anyone wanting to donate can do so by sending a check payable to the Summer Lunch Program, P.O. Box 11, Barnesville, OH 43713.
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