Summer Is Coming: Pre-Register for Food4Kids!
Contributed by Melissa Rigas
It’s getting close to that time of year that we, as Alaskans, treasure, summer. Although short, we manage to pack in as much exploration, discovery, farming, fishing, and fun in those months as we can.
Amidst the joy, there are some very real issues that surface at this time. One of those is the threat to food security. What happens to those young folks who depend on their meals served at school? What happens to those home-schooled kids who don’t benefit at all from school meals?
Food is a necessity if we and our community are to be healthy and whole. So, when we speak about food security, we must not forget that we cannot envision food security without food availability. Accessibility, affordability, and nutrition must all be a part of the equation if we are to be successful in our mission to combat the issue.
Fortunately, here in the Valley, we are a tight-knit community that thrives on collaboration so that we may help all our neighbors when need be. As concerns feeding our youngest, it is not surprising that several organizations assure that they are fed throughout the summer months. The school district, our tribal villages, certain food pantries, Kids Kupboard, and we at the MATSU Food Bank are some of these organizations.
Food4Kids, as many of you know, is the MATSU Food Bank’s summer feeding program. We will be located at the 2 sites we have been distributing meals for over 10 years, Wonderland Park and Newcomb Park (Wasilla Lake).
This year, we have decided to try to get ahead of the game by offering our community pre-registration. We believe it will facilitate the process from the start of the program, eliminate long waits, and give us an idea of how many folks we need to prepare for.
If you are a client at the Betty White Food Pantry, you can simply pre-register with the person at reception. If you are not a client or wish to do it online, please go to our website at matsufoodbank.org where there will be a pre-registration application you can fill out in the very near future.
We would like to note that pre-registration is not mandatory. You can still come to the park or lake to pick up your meals as you always have. We just want to make the experience as easy and enjoyable as possible.
Please also note that whether you pre-register or not, we must see your children the first time you pick up your meals. After that, their presence is not necessary although seeing them each year and watching them grow and meeting new families is always a pleasure for us. We want to know our community members.
We will begin summer feeding on Tuesday, May 26 and continue throughout June, July, and August. Our last day will be August 12. We will be present from Monday through Friday as well as the third Saturday of each month, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Just look for the Veggie mobiles and big smiles and you’ll know it’s us.
One very important message we would like to put out there, Food4Kids is for all Valley youth up to and including the age of 18.
Matsuvians, thank you once again for allowing us to serve you and we look forward to seeing you very soon.