The Salvation Army of Omaha (www.salarmyomaha.org) is looking for volunteers to distribute meals this summer as part of their Kids Cruisin’ Kitchen summer feeding program.
The summer months can be especially challenging for children who are at risk of hunger. Approximately 43% of children in Nebraska receive free or reduced-fee lunches at school, and that percentage can soar as high as 90%, depending on the circumstances. Once kids are out of school for summer break, access to dependable sources of nutritious food plummets, which is why The Salvation Army’s Kids Cruisin’ Kitchen is such an important program in the community.
This year, Kids Cruisin’ Kitchen will run on weekdays through August 5, providing free, hot, nutritious lunches to children 18 years of age and younger at six locations around the Omaha metro, including local libraries and apartment complexes. Each volunteer of the program will be part of a team that will make three stops along a designated route, serving meals to children in the area. The volunteers will serve meals from canteens, or Salvation Army food trucks. Last summer, the program served nearly 17,000 lunches to kids and teens in the metro area.
“We engage with the kids while we serve them,” said Volunteer Renate Keilbach. “The kids love it. A lot of them don’t have many people to talk to, so it’s a good opportunity to connect with them.”
For more information about Kids Cruisin’ Kitchen or to sign up to volunteer, call (402) 898-6000 or email wstvolunteers@usc.salvationarmy.org. For more information about The Salvation Army of Omaha, visit www.salarmyomaha.org.