The Hungry Hearts program to provide summer lunch to students under 18 gets underway Tuesday for the next eleven weeks until school resumes in the fall.
The program is in its seventh year, the sixth under the direction of the Salem Elks.
The Elk’s Mike Hooe says the program served 8,392 lunches in Salem and Iuka last year and anticipate a similar number this year. Sometime in June, he reports the program will celebrate serving meal number 40,000.
“Couldn’t do it without our volunteers. We have some many good groups that volunteer. So many churches here in town, the businesses allowing their people off to help us out. It really is what makes this work for us.”
Hooe says Friday is a special day each week.
“Part of this program every Friday we incorporate a literacy component to it. We give away a free book and the kids really enjoy it. So every Friday they not only get a lunch but get to pick out a book to take home and keep.”
The drop off points in Salem will be at the same time and locations as last year. The meals will be at the Salem Community Activity center, the entrance to the Salem Mobile Home Park, the entrance to the Salem Bryan Bennett Library, the Marion County Housing Authority Units on the northeast side of town, and the former Armory Parking Lot at North College and Warmouth Street from 11 to 11:20 each weekday morning. Meals for the entire week are prepared a few days a week for Iuka area students. You can contact the Iuka Grade School for further details.
The Salem Elk’s have received a $6,000 National Elk’s grant for the summer, which pays for about half the cost. Hooe says community contributions pick up the rest of the cost. He notes the grant money becomes harder to get each year as the National Elks would like to see the program become self sustaining. Hooe is thankful to the Salem Community High School National Honor Society for doing a book collection drive, with 900 books collected. In past summers, they have distributed about 1,000 books each year.
