Grab and Go summer meals in Sparrow Run

August 1, 2018

By Ashley Stahmer, Communications Intern

At 10:55 a.m. on a Friday morning, children and some of their parents are already waiting for their Grab and Go meals in Sparrow Run. Rows of coolers are set up, full of bagged meals for the kids. Between 70 and 80 children in the Sparrow Run community receive free meals through the Food Bank’s summer meal program. The meals are assembled by volunteers and given out every weekday, with additional meals supplied for the weekend on Friday. Meals usually include a sandwich, snack, milk, and bottled water. The program offers kids a convenient way to get healthy, free meals over the summer months.

Victoria Schetrom, who handles the meal distribution, knows that the meals have a major positive impact on the kids’ summer diet. She has two volunteers, one in middle school and the other in high school, who help her almost every day to make sure all of the children get their meals quickly. Meals can be picked up Monday through Friday, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Though, Victoria says that most of the kids pick up their meals as soon as they can every morning. The children are familiar with the program by the middle of the summer, coming with their own bags to carry home their meals for the day. Some of the kids even stay to help pass out food to the other children in the community.

The Food Bank’s Grab and Go meals are just one part of how Sparrow Run tries to give back to their community. CHILD, Inc., an organization that provides counseling services and informative programs for families, runs Kids Place in Sparrow Run. The center offers educational and recreational activities to all of the children and teenagers residing in the community.  CHILD, Inc. also offers summer activities and trips for the children. During the school year, children can go to Kids Place for homework help and afterschool activities.

Partnering with communities like Sparrow Run helps the Food Bank reach Delaware children at risk of going hungry during the summer months and provide them with easy, healthy meals.

The Grab and Go program is made possible thanks to:

  • Harry K
  • Giant Food
  • Citizens Bank
  • Islamic Relief USA
  • Share our Strength
  • Kraft Heinz through Feeding America
  • Enterprise Rent-A-Care Foundation through Feeding America

For more information about the Food Bank of Delaware and our hunger-relief efforts, visit www.fbd.org.

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