The Hungry Hearts Program is beginning its ninth year of providing summer bag lunches to any person under the age of 18 in the Salem area.
Marilyn Lewis is heading the program again this year and reports they are currently making 155 lunches a day and delivering them to seven sites for pickup between 11 and 11:20 each week day morning.
The pickup points are Sherwood and Salem Aire Apartments on the north side, Marion County Housing on Trenary Street, Salem Mobile Home Park, Bryan Bennett Library, the Old Armory Parking Lot, and the Grace United Methodist Church.
Lewis says a different church or organization donates their time each year to put the lunches together at the Grace United Methodist Church.
“They show up. Some show up about 9:30 and start getting the food out, getting it ready, and setting the sides up. Majority shows up about 10:30 ready to fill the snacks and get them bagged up then pot us up and ready to go. We start making sandwiches about 10 till and have them ready to go about 11.”
Lewis says donations and volunteers are needed. If you want to help, show up any weekday at 10:30 at the Grace United Methodist Church. Donations for the program are accepted at the Grace United Methodist Church office. The program continues every weekday until the day before school begins in August.
