Good meals & fellowship for kids & families during summer break

By STU CLAMPITT
news@readthereporter.com

As this newspaper has written many times, Hamilton County has a good heart. It needs one because so many people in this community struggle with food insecurity. Countless individuals and organizations here work to help their neighbors in need.

This week, The Reporter is highlighting the Lunch Bunch Superstar Summer Program at Noblesville First United Methodist Church, 2051 Monument St. This program provides no-questions-asked hot meals and take-home sack lunches to help kids get through the summer months when they are not in school.

As we all should know, there are too many young people for whom school lunches are a vital part of basic survival. As schools close across the county for summer break, programs like Lunch Bunch help fill in that nutritional gap.

The Reporter spoke to Lunch Bunch Organizer Jane Meats about the program, who it serves, and how you can participate either as a family with kids or as a supporter.

“We’re in our third year,” Meats said. “Our mission is to provide a hot meal and fun activities, and for children to take home five sack lunches every Monday during the months of June and July. We open our doors at the church, and everyone is welcome with no exceptions.”

Children and families will be greeted by approximately 30 volunteers every Monday at noon.

“It’s more than just handing out food,” Meats said. “We provide a loving, caring, nurturing environment. When they come to our facility, they get a hot meal, which is kid-friendly. It’s for the kids and their families. While they’re eating, we have crafts set up at the tables. They can color. Sometimes we have music, maybe a video.”

And this year, the Lunch Bunch theme is from Galatians 5, verses 22 and 23.

“It’s about the fruit of the spirit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control,” Meats said. “Our teacher, who leads that brief discussion, will take one of those character traits and talk about it, which is good for all of us. Last Monday was our first Monday for this year, and the theme was on love. We talked about that, sang some songs, had some activities, and did a little relay race.”

It takes about one hour for the lunch, discussion, and activities.  At the end, each kid gets a large sack to walk from table to table and build five take-home sack lunches for themselves.

“They can take five fruits, five juice drinks, five snacks, five sweet treats, and five sandwiches of their choice – which is usually ham, turkey, peanut butter, or Nutella,” Meats said.

Meats told The Reporter her church owns Teeter Organic Farm. You can learn all about the farm online at TeterOrganicFarm.com. Because of that affiliation, sometimes they have fresh produce available as well.

Even with that resource, providing hot meals for families and five sack lunches to every kid who comes in on Mondays is a challenge.

“Nancy Chance from Good Samaritan Network has helped us all three years by donating a lot of the food that we are able to provide for the children and the families,” Meats said. “Without her help, I’m not sure we could do this because it’s a lot of food.”

The Lunch Bunch team at the church is entirely made of volunteers with a Hamilton County heart for service. According to Meats, the program is organized by Carol Miller. One team leader prepares hot meals for families. A different team leader takes care of inventory and tracks what the program needs from week to week. Another is in charge of organizing volunteers, and one is responsible for story time and activities.

Meats calls the program unique because they don’t just give out food, but they try to get to know people who come for lunch.

“We have had people come all three years that we’ve had this program,” Meats said. “We’re always really happy to see them again and see how the kids are growing and what’s going on in their lives. So we try to have some one-on-one discussions with them and just be supportive and encouraging. So that’s kind of what our program is about.”

If you or someone you know has kids and is struggling a bit with meals over the summer break, every Monday at noon through July 21, the Lunch Bunch Superstar Summer Program at Noblesville First United Methodist Church, 2051 Monument St., is happy to help.

Families will enter through Door No. 7, and Meats said it is a safe environment. The rest of the church is closed off and you will only see volunteers and other people there for lunch.

If you don’t need any help, but you have the heart to help others, the easiest way to do so is to send a donation to the church and note that it is for the Lunch Bunch program. Jane Meats, Carol Miller, and the other volunteers will make sure every dollar goes straight to helping neighbors in need.