Feed the Kids program now underway in Waukon for July
Waukon churches are banding together again this July to bring hot lunches to area children, ages 18 and under, through a local Feed the Kids program.
In 2024, its second year, Feed the Kids served 1,975 lunches and distributed 2,267 breakfast bags in the 18 days of the program. This was an increase of almost 500 meals from 2023, the inaugural year of the local program. The number of days to serve those meals will be 22 this year, an increase of four days over last year’s program.
The Allamakee Community School District (ACSD) provides a summer feeding program to local children ages 18 and under during the months of June and August, but there is no such program that takes place for July through the school district. Community members felt there were still “food insecure” children who needed to eat all summer long, and the local Feed the Kids program got started.
The lunches are now being provided weekdays from July 1-3 and July 7-31 from 11 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. at Zion United Church of Christ, located at 113 1st Street NE in Waukon. Grab-and-go breakfasts will also be provided for the children to take with them to eat the following day. Area churches are each taking a week to prepare and serve the lunches to the children.
The cost to put on Feed the Kids is approximately $7,000 and the program relies entirely on donations, offerings and grants for funding. Another valuable resource currently used is the Hunger Task Force in La Crosse, WI which provides food for causes such as Feed the Kids.
Anyone wishing to donate is asked to send a check made out to Zion UCC FTK (Feed the Kids) to Zion UCC, 113 1st Street NE, Waukon, IA 52172. The money is used solely to purchase food for the program. All workers involved in the program are volunteers.
In the event more money is raised than is needed, the excess funds will be donated to the Relief Office and area schools. It will be used to help families in need prepare their kids for school and assist schools in providing school supplies, after-school snacks, or go towards negative lunch balances. The excess money will be used to provide assistance for children in the Waukon community.
