Published: June 30, 2009 09:01 am      

Volunteers needed for Laurel Summer Feeding Program

Did you know that over 50 percent of Laurel County children qualify for free or reduced lunches at school? Do you realize that many of these children go hungry during the summer months because school is closed and their parents cannot afford to feed them?

For the past several years the Laurel County Extension Office has helped support the Summer Feeding Program in Laurel County. This program was designed by the federal government to help feed children under the age of 18 during the summer vacation. Food is available to these children during breakfast and lunch at several locations in Laurel County. Thanks to our wonderful volunteers, we more than doubled the number of sites in Laurel County last year and served over 44,000 meals.

The Laurel County Extension Office will again be supporting the program by recruiting volunteers to feed children for lunch at three locations: Pine Hill Apartments, Laurel Square Apartments, and Betty Jane Apartments. This is an excellent opportunity for us to give of our time and help make a difference in a child’s life this summer.

We need 48 volunteers to agree to work for approximately 1 1/2 - 2 hours a day for one week during the summer. That’s a small price to pay to make such a difference in a child’s life. Volunteers will be required to pick up food at London Elementary around 11:30 a.m. Volunteers must pack the lunches in the provided bags, transport the food to the assigned site, and count the number of lunches distributed. Lunch will be served from noon to 12:30 p.m. Any child 18 years of age or under may receive food. Training will be provided to all volunteers.

If you are interested in volunteering to help with this project, please call our office at 864-4167. Even if you can only volunteer one or two days, we need your help.

Weeks volunteers are needed: June 29-July 3, July 6-10, July 13-17, July 20-24, July 27-31.

Eileen Estridge Kopp, Staff Assistant

Laurel Cooperative Extension Service