Feed Evansville asks for community's help to keep school children fed all summer long
The organization will be outside city pools seven days a week starting next month and offering free lunches.
It won't be soon before long Tri-State families will be making memories and making a splash at Evansville's pools.
Lorraine and Rochelle-Landers are empty now, but will open for the first time this year on Saturday morning. New for the season: people can enjoy new concession tables.
There's another initiative happening here too to help alleviate financial stressors on families and to keep our kids healthy.
On Wednesday, Feed Evansville asked residents to donate the money they would normally use to buy lunch or coffee to its cause, as part of the Brown Bag Challenge.
Feed Evansville Executive Director Lisa Vaughan says the money collected will go toward buying nutritious meals which include a sandwich or wrap, grain, fruit and vegetable.
Those meals will be handed out between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. seven days a week outside the gates of the all three pools, so kids do not have to pay the one-or-two-dollar admission to eat.
Feed Evansville wants to get rid of any stress on families, especially if it comes to choosing between paying their bills or for food.
'We will be making sure that we have lunches for those who attend. We just ask everybody to eat on site, so that we're in guidelines of the USDA, and we can have some good quality food there for you,' Vaughan says.
Feed Evansville has met its $5,000 goal which provides lunches and snacks for six weeks. However, it's still accepting donations, so the organization can feed everyone until the end of summer. It comes as Vaughan says 41% of parents struggle to feed their kids during school breaks.
The city is also matching up to $2,500 for the program. Starting June 2, those meals will be available for pick-up regardless whether the pools are open.
Those interested in volunteering and packing meals can go to https://feedevansville.com/.
Feed Evansville asks for community's help to keep school children fed all summer long
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