(5/21) Each year when summer rolls around, students jump for joy. Excited cries of "school is out for the summer!" resonate through neighborhoods throughout the world. However, some students are left with a troubling question once their school year ends; what will they eat for lunch? Volunteers from all across Walkersville have made it their mission to remedy this conundrum and provide for their community.
The Summer Outreach of Walkersville Area Churches, or SOWAC, holds their Summer Lunch Program every year in Discovery. Christian churches from across Town each spend a week serving free lunches to those who need it. They serve from the Discovery Recreation Center located at 8740 Stauffer Road. Lunch is held from 11:30 to 1 each week Monday through Friday. The first week begins June 16th, and the last ends August 15th. Volunteers, members of the community and organizations all over Walkersville help pitch in to feed those in need.
The woman in charge of this program is Jennifer Goodman. Goodman has been a dedicated volunteer of SOWAC since 2016. This organization has been running for over twenty years and continues to be helpful to the Walkersville community. Goodman has spent her years volunteering as much time as possible, firmly believing that this is more than just a lunch program. "I believe it’s important for kids to be outside, playing and connecting with others instead of staying indoors," she states, expressing how serving their neighbors with food is just one part of a much larger organization.
The Summer Lunch Program has had multiple different groups, which are not affiliated with the food at all, come to interact with the children and families who attend each day. In the past they’ve had visits from Keys Coyote, Fountain Rock Park, and even a free face painter that the kids loved. Children are encouraged to play outside while they and their families are at the Discovery Recreation Center, games like giant Connect Four and giant Jenga laid out for the kids’ entertainment.
Currently, SOWAC is looking for volunteers to help serve the lunchs. Should anyone be interested in helping make a difference this summer, they are open to any volunteers who would like to assist them! Along with these church volunteers, the rescue mission from Downtown Frederick brings bags of groceries once a week to support Goodman and her volunteers’ mission.
In years prior, this program has had multiple different methods of outreach. They used to have a location at Creamery Park but due to lack of volunteers, they had to let that station go. Luckily the Walkersville Public Library stepped in to help with their own Summer Lunch Program. This year the dates are the same as in Discovery, only distribution times lie between noon and 1. Lunch is available for children up to ages eighteen, with their meals being provided by generous donations from the Town of Walkersville, Glade Valley Community Services, and the Friends of the Walkersville Library.
The Walkersville Public Library is dedicated to helping children and parents alike discover the magic of books, now that patrons are invited to come inside, grab their lunch, and eat their meals in the Batson Community Room. This immerses them into the library and helps students avoid that "summer slide" of knowledge, and be prepared for when school ultimately starts back up again. The library has successfully served over 4,000 lunches to families around the Town, and this year community volunteers will be used for the first time to set up, distribute, and prepare the lunches. Because of the overwhelming support, this year’s volunteer positions are full!
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