The summer feeding program at the Salvation Army Austin Corps is under way for the seventh consecutive year.

Thursday, June 14, 2001

The summer feeding program at the Salvation Army Austin Corps is under way for the seventh consecutive year.

From noon to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday, free meals are served at the Salvation Army’s headquarters and community center at 409 First Ave. NE.

Serving began Monday and thus far the weekday meals have attracted an average of 60 people each day.

According to Lori Espe, two school cooks, Gloria White and her assistant Nancy Starks, are in charge of the meals.

The meals are funded by a grant from United Way of Mower County Inc. and a special grant from the Hormel Foundation to hire the two cooks.

Salvation Army staff and volunteers assist in serving the meals.

Espe said the school experiences of the cooks ensure the participants have a "hot, nutritious and kid-friendly meal."

The free meals are served to the hungry in Austin, because, in part, the end of the school year means many indigent families who qualified for free or reduced-price meals in the school year now do not have that opportunity in the summer.

Espe also said many families are financially strapped because of high energy bills and the only place they can reduce their expenditures is their food budgets.

While the majority of the diners are children and teen-agers, some adults also participate.

Espe is conducting an advertising campaign with fliers and posters to attract as many hungry people to the weekday meals as possible.

"We want to reach as many people as we can with the summer feeding program. It’s there for every hungry person to use," she said.

Several Salvation Army staff and volunteers speak Spanish, so their bilingual capabilities are helping non-English-speaking diners adjust to the mid-day meals.

The only requirement is that the diners sign in to allow the Salvation Army to know how many people participated and how to plan for future meals.

The summer feeding program will not be available July 4 because of the Independence Day holiday. The community center will reopen July 5 and serve meals once again through Aug. 17.

For more information about the Salvation Army’s summer feeding program, call 437-4566.

"No preregistration is necessary to be served," Espe said. "Walk-ins are welcome."

Call Lee Bonorden at 434-2232 or e-mail him at lee.bonorden@austindailyherald.com.