BREWER, Maine — Many families worry at the end of the school year about how they will feed their kids without the help of school lunch programs.
That’s why Good Shepherd Food Bank is once again sponsoring summer lunch sites in Bangor and Brewer and providing free meals for children all summer.
Monday, one of Good Shepherd’s seven partners, Brewer Housing Authority, kicked off its Summer Meals For Kids and Teens program.
Mike Moser and his five kids were some of the first to arrive at Brewer Housing Authority’s summer lunch program on Monday. Moser knows firsthand the stress of feeding a big family during the summer.
"At the end of the school year, you definitely think of creative ways to make the budget go further," Moser said. " A lot of creative meals and oodles of noodles."
The program is just one of seven partnerships with Good Shepherd to fill the gap during the summer while school is out.
Karen Smith is the Program Manager with Brewer Housing Authority.
Smith said, "That’s why this program is so important because there are so many families that really rely on free lunches or reduced lunches, and when Summertime comes they no longer have that resource so it can be very difficult to feed kids during the summer. "
Smith said they also have a waiver program in effect due to the pandemic so you don’t have to eat on-site, you may grab and go.
For more information about the seven locations and times, go to this website for the seven summer lunch sites.