Milton School District summer Lunch Bunch program to start in June

MILTON — Milton School District families will be able to pick up lunch for their children Monday through Thursday from the Lunch Bunch program starting June 10 until August 30. Pickup locations include United Methodist Church, 241 Northside Dr., and North Goodrich Park, 20 Parkview Dr., from 11:15 a.m. to 12 p.m.

The program is a collaboration between the Milton School District and several Milton churches including United Methodist Church, Hope Lutheran Church and Seventh-Day Adventist. It was created in 2018 to help address the lunch needs of students over the 12-week period of summer. Families picking up meals on Thursday will receive enough food for Friday, except for beverages. The Methodist church is closed on Fridays. This program is available for all families, not only those on free or reduced lunch. Each week requires a new sign up. For more information visit https://miltonumc.org/lunch/.

More recently, a three-week cycle menu has been created to provide different sustainable options of protein, a fruit, veggie, snack, beverage and dessert. “We’re covering food groups and trying to prepare meals that kids will eat,” Hope Luthern church committee member Brenda O’Beirne said. Teachers and church members work together to prepare the meals each day. They prepare 200-300 a day, O’Beirne said. O’Beirne is involved even though she doesn’t have children in the district. “It’s important to support programs that help to address food insecurity,” she said. Schools send out a newsletter to parents informing them of the program.

With the cost of food on the rise, O’Beirne has been applying for grants and reaching out to local businesses for help. The church has a bank account to help fund the program. Some proceeds will go into the fund from a fundraiser scoopy night at Culvers, 571 E. Richardson Springs Road, Edgerton, on Monday, May 13 from 5 to 8 p.m. O’Beirne said they also hope to hold a food truck rally in the summer to raise money. “We would be very grateful to receive donations from any individual or business,” she said.

Businesses can also sponsor the event. For more information on donating, reach out to O’Beirne at obeirneb@uww.edu.

“We want to help nourish the children. Food is a fundamental need we all have and those who can’t meet that need, we as the community need to step up and help,” O’Beirne said.