Most kids celebrate the end of the school year, but students who fear that summer means there will be days when they go hungry are likely worried. Will they have enough food each day?

These are a surprising number of children and teens in Old Saybrook who, due to their family’s low income, qualify to receive free and reduced priced lunches and breakfasts throughout the school year. But in the summer those subsidized meals disappear.

For each of the past three summers, the Town of Old Saybrook—based on having 50 percent of the families in the census tract be eligible to receive free and reduced price lunches during the school year—qualified for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) funds to run a summer food program for youth in town. In the summer of 2017, the program provided 225 meals to town children and teens.

In 2018, however, the percentage of eligible families in the town census tract dropped below 50 percent to 46 percent, the Town of Old Saybrook was no longer eligible to receive the USDA funds for the summer Kidz Lunch Bunch program.

Kathy Cobb, a nutritionist and the one who initiated the summer Kidz Lunch Bunch in 2015, decided she had to do something. She reached out to community organizations and businesses to seek donations of meal sites and food to build a home-grown summer lunch program.

“The generosity of the community has been incredible. We’ve had an overwhelming community response,” said Cobb.

With donations of food from area businesses and organizations, Cobb now has three meal sites and donations of food to support four days of lunches for the town’s youth in July and August.

Lunches will be offered four days each week from July 9 to Aug. 10 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Any town youth up to the age of 18 is eligible to get a free lunch through this program.

“Any child or teen between the ages of two and 18 years is eligible to receive a free lunch at one of the four meal sites,” said Cobb. “The meal must be eaten on site, but there will be no questions asked and no means test at the door.”

Cobb said she has a number of volunteers who help her but she can always use more helpers. To volunteer to help with the Kids Lunch Bunch 2018 program, send Kathy Cobb an email at kathy.cobb@snet.net.

Kidz Lunch Bunch Schedule

The program runs from Monday, July 9 to Thursday, Aug. 9

Mondays: First Church of Christ, 366 Main Street—the church will also donate the meal.

Tuesdays: Goodwin Elementary School, 80 Old Boston Post Road—Pasta Vita will donate and provide the food

Wednesdays: Acton Public Library, 60 Old Boston Post Road—Luigi’s Restaurants will donate and provide the food

Thursdays: Goodwin Elementary School, 80 Old Boston Post Road—The Estuary Council of Seniors will donate and provide the food