Volunteers key to MUST Ministries Summer Lunch Program success

MARIETTA, Ga. - How big is the MUST Ministries Summer Lunch Program?

Let’s start here: last summer, more than 500,000 meals were served to area youth. Yes, that's half a million meals, and program leaders say the need grows every year.

That means volunteers and donations are needed for this year’s MUST Ministries Summer Lunch Program, which is underway now and runs through the end of July. FOX 5 Atlanta is a proud sponsor of the program, which helps bridge the summer hunger gap by serving breakfast and lunch to children in 8 Metro Atlanta counties (Bartow, Cobb, Cherokee, Douglas, Fulton, Paulding, Pickens, and Gwinnett). Program leaders say these kids depend on school lunches to eat during the year, which is why providing meals during the summer months is so critical.

"The entire purpose of Summer Lunch started because some teachers came to MUST Ministries and said 'We have students who we don't think are going to be able to eat this summer. Is there any way you can begin a program?'" MUST Ministries president and CEO Ike Reighard told Good Day Atlanta last year.

To make it happen, MUST Ministries partners with local churches, schools, corporations, and other volunteer groups to pack and distribute the meal kits. Volunteers are always welcome to join in the effort — and people can also help out the program by making monetary and food donations. For ways to help (including purchasing items on an Amazon wishlist), click over to the MUST Ministries Summer Lunch Program webpage here.

We never miss a chance to spend a morning with volunteers, rolling up our sleeves to help pack kits and to chat with these local men and women about how the MUST Ministries Summer Lunch Program makes a big impact on them, too. Click the video player in this article to check out our morning with the team at First Presbyterian Church in Marietta!