Did you know that summer is the busiest time of the year for the Greater Cleveland Food Bank? When children are out of school, the instances of hunger among that demographic rise due to the lack of structured school meal programs. Only ten percent of children who receive free or reduced-price school lunches during the school year receive the same support during the summer.

The Greater Cleveland Food Bank works to bridge this summer hunger gap with their Summer Meals program. This program provides balanced bagged lunches to sites such as libraries, parks, and day camps from Madison to Cleveland to Ashland.

The day that I volunteered to pack lunches, the lunches contained a turkey and cheese sandwich, baby carrots, a fruit cup, and milk.

The Greater Cleveland Food Bank’s volunteer kitchen typically produces 6,500 meals per day, but in the summer, the kitchen produces more than 8,000 meals per day!

Plus, the Greater Cleveland Food Bank’s trucks deliver the lunches to the Summer Meal sites daily.

This very necessary Summer Meal program puts a strain on the Greater Cleveland Food Bank’s financial and manpower resources. So, how can you help? You can donate your funds or your time (or both!) Click here to find out more about donating to the Greater Cleveland Food Bank. And click here to find out how to sign up for a volunteer shift.

Personally, I have always found my time volunteering at the Greater Cleveland Food Bank to be so rewarding! Particularly when packing lunches, you are completing a concrete task with a measurable outcome and impact. Meaning: we packed a lot of lunches to help hungry kids!

I hope you will take some of your time, talent, and treasure to help the Greater Cleveland Food Bank during their busiest time of the year. Together, we can help stem the tide of summer hunger!