The Mt. Vernon Festivals Fall Fest Committee has announced the Summer Food Distribution Program team will be the Grand Marshals of the 2025 Fall Fest Parade that will make its way through downtown Mt. Vernon this coming Saturday afternoon at one.
The Director of Mt. Vernon Festivals, Inc. says the honor recognizes the extraordinary efforts of the SUN Meals to GO program which operated when school was not in attendance this summer. During that time, 4,970 children from 2,289 families registered for the program across Jefferson, Marion, Franklin and Hamilton Counties.
With the help of a dedicated staff of 30 employees, including District 80 food service workers, aides, teachers, former AmeriCorps members, and local college students, the team served an astounding 554,654 meals to children age 1 to 18.
Each week, families received food boxes through a drive-thru distribution at Casey Middle School on Wednesdays from eleven am to 7 pm. Deliveries were also made on Fridays to District 80 students living in Willow Springs and Mays Manor housing areas. Each box contained seven lunches, seven breakfasts and one gallon of milk
Shrum says the summer food distribution program has been a shining example of compassion and service in Mt. Vernon. She says their unwavering commitment to ensuring that no child went without a meal this summer reflects the very heart of our community. Shrum says it is a privilege to honor them as this year’s Grand Marshals.
