Pablo’s Mexican Restaurant in Crystal Lake will provide the tacos, and volunteers from Northern Illinois Food Bank and the Crystal Lake Park District will provide the games, prizes, and fun, beginning at 11:30 a.m. June 9.

The Summer Lunch Program in Crystal Lake will kick off at 11:30 a.m. June 9 with a taco party at Ladd Park, 500 Coventry Lane.

Any child under 18 from Crystal Lake can join in the festivities.

Pablo’s Mexican Restaurant in Crystal Lake will provide the tacos, and volunteers from Northern Illinois Food Bank and the Crystal Lake Park District will provide the games, prizes, and fun. In case of rain, the lunch and fun will be moved to the Vineyard Church, 7105 Virginia Road, right next the CVS.

The program requires no prior registration.

Although the kick-off party is June 9, the program began June 6 and runs through Aug. 18, Monday through Friday. Any child under the age of 18 can get a free boxed lunch and milk at Ladd Park.

A typical lunch includes a turkey and cheese sandwich, peach, grape tomatoes, and milk. Children and parents can also enjoy a little light entertainment and games.

Last summer the program served 1,225 meals to approximately 250 children, averaging 22 meals per day. According to the Northern Illinois Food Bank’s website, the program served 7,000 children each day in 2016 at parks, churches, schools, and other sites throughout the area. For more information about the program, visit the get-help section on the website at http://solvehungertoday.org

Although this is Crystal Lake’s second year in the program, Zion Lutheran School began serving breakfast and lunch during the summer five years ago. The program serves breakfast (8-9 a.m.) and lunch (11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.) to any child under 18 years old. Adults can enjoy meals for just enough to cover the cost of the food, because the program does not reimburse for adult lunches. Other locations in McHenry County are: McHenry Public Library, Garden City NRC, and First United Methodist Church of McHenry.

No food may be taken from the site, so a “share box” distributes food from the individual boxes to those who want more. Parents may take from the “share box” once the children are fed. The Rev. Tim Mengler procured a refrigerator so leftover food can be stored until the next day. It takes three days to respond to a shift in the number of children who attend.

“My friend Mary Fox and I wanted to do something like this for years,” said Betty Koch, one of the volunteers. The two women worked independently toward the same goal, without knowing. “Now we’re working on it together.”

The meals are not limited to people in need and requires no registration. The USDA funds the program and Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) monitors it. The program’s mission is to give all children access to healthy meals every day. Besides the sites in McHenry County, there

are multiple sites in Rockford, Mundelien, Carpentersville, Elgin, Belvidiere, and locations throughout Cook and Lake counties, and in various communities throughout Illinois.

The USDA Food and Nutrition Services developed a Summer Meals Site Finder (www.SummerMealsIllinois.org,) to help children, parents, and others to quickly and easily find summer meal sites near them. The site finder, available for use at no charge, is a web-based application that also works on tablets, smart phones and other mobile devices without the need to download.

The site does not track, collect, or retain personal information through the use of the location services. The mapping tool allows users to enter an address, city, state or zip code to find up to 50 nearby locations, along with their addresses, meals served, hours of operation, and contact information, and directions. The meals served and the hours of operation vary from location to location.

Questions about the Crystal Lake Summer Lunch program can be directed to Mary Fox at (224) 858-7415 or foxpax@sbcglobal.net or Kathy Sullivan at (815) 861-9893 or sullcl5@aol.com.

— 2nd Crystal Lake Lunch in the Park Program kicks off June 9–