Where Can The Kids Get Free Lunch This Summer? (2023 Edition)

You'd be surprised how many people are facing food insecurity here in Pettis County every day. I'm not starting with that to bring down the mood.

It's more to let you know that if you're worried about something like this - maybe for you and your family, maybe for someone you know, or a relative - you're not alone. In fact, you probably DO know someone who's dealing with some form of food insecurity, either a kid or an adult. A lot of kids deal with food insecurity - that means they don't know where there next meal is going to come from. I know that all of us know the kids need lots of good, nutritious food so they grow up strong, healthy, and to their full potential. But I get that sometimes, you gotta choose between that trip to Wal Mart or keeping the lights on.

Get our free mobile app

And sometimes, you need a little help to get from point a to point b. You might be working all day and can't take your lunch to go home and make sure the kids eat. You might be working two jobs and just getting enough to give 'em a big dinner. Whatever your circumstance, it's okay to let people who want to help give that help. We all need a little helping hand every now and then - whether it's the person holding the door at the doc's office or it's the person ahead of you that paid for your coffee. That's why these groups are here, they're here to help people that need it.

The Heart of America ReDistribution Solutions and Support is sponsoring meals at no cost from Monday, June 5th, through Monday, July 31st. Join us for FREE nutritious summer meals served Monday through Friday. There are no income guidelines to qualify for the program. Everyone age 18 and younger are welcome to visit one of the sites to receive a free meal.

So where are they going? They're making stops all over town, so if you're worried about the kids wandering off too far, it's okay. All the stops are in open, public places that are well supervised. And one of them is bound to be a short walk from your house.

Here's the schedule:

Centennial Park 11:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Homestead MHP 12:30 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Housel Park 12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Katy Park 12:15 p.m. - 12:45 p.m.
Liberty Park 11:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Lone Pine MHP 11:45 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
New Life Ministries 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Sunset Village MHP 12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Vermont Park 11:00 a.m. - 11:30 p.m.

So as you can see, most of the stops are about a half an hour. Now, the kids don't have to wolf down the food in a half an hour, they'll just be passing out the food for a half an hour. If your kids show up at Liberty Park at 11:55, nobody's gonna rush 'em. One thing is, you do have to eat it on site (I'm sure there will be plenty of room at the picnic tables), they don't offer carry out. It's probably just that they don't have containers to give to the kids, if you were really desperate to eat it at home I guess you could bring a paper bag, put it in there, and then go home. Don't bank on that, though - I don't know what kind of food they'll be serving. I'm assuming they're easy meals like sammitches and the like, but be prepared just in case. And do remember, only one location is open longer than a half an hour, and that's New Life Ministries. One note though, the sites will be closed on the 4th of July holiday, but you probably expected that.

If you have any questions about the whole thing, or maybe if you want to volunteer or donate, you should call Sue Foster at 660-596-3922 or 888-435-1464.

Lunchily yours,
Behka