Free Summer Lunch for Kids and Teens
The Free Summer Lunch for Kids and Teens will be available again this summer from June 6 to Aug. 26, 2022. Five area churches – Christ United Methodist Church, Saint Stephens United Church of Christ, Our Saviour’s Lutheran, Trinity Lutheran, and St. John’s Lutheran – partner with the Merrill Community Food Pantry to provide a lunch to children and teens in the community who may not have access to lunch when school is on summer break. Because of concerns brought on by COVID, they will be handling this program in the same manner as last year.
Christ United Methodist Church (UMC), 300 N. Mill St. in Merrill, will be the central location for meals to be picked up by the child or a parent, from 11:30 a.m. — 1:00 p.m. Monday thru Friday in the church parking lot. No meals will be eaten on site. The child is expected to eat at home, and some of the meals may need to be heated up.
Each of the five churches will provide meals on their assigned day of the week, all operating out of Christ UMC. The Community Food Pantry of Merrill is partnering with the program to provide certain items for the meals each day, such as the juice drink or other beverage, granola bars or snack items, and fruit cups.
New this year: The T. B. Scott Free Library will partner with this program and will give out free books to the children on various days throughout the summer.
No sign-up is necessary to participate in this program. The child(ren) or a parent can simply come to the Christ UMC parking lot (near the intersection of E. Third and Mill Streets), Monday through Friday between from 11:30 a.m. — 1:00 p.m., to pick up a bag lunch for the child(ren).