By Heidi Sampson, staff reporter

LAKE MILLS — The Lake Mills Area Ministerial Association is sponsoring the Summer Food & Fun food service program, which will provide a free lunch to all children, ages 1 to 18, beginning June 3.

The free lunch will be offered Monday through Friday at the Salem Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall and will continue until school resumes in the fall.

“We are hoping this Summer Food Service Program will help ease some of the burden during the summer months for our local families,” said nurse Joan Krull of Lake Mills Community School. “Even parents can partake in the program by receiving lunches at a reduced price of $3.50 per meal, if they should choose to do so.”

According to the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service Website, “The Summer Food Service Program was established to ensure that low-income children continue to receive nutritious meals when school is not in session.”

Even though it is true that the low-income designation plays a role in communities becoming eligible for such a program, this program is designed to be offered to all children regardless of income levels when it is in effect. According to Vickie Zobel, executive director of the Lake Mills Chamber Development Corporation, the program offered by the USDA is not a grant but rather a reimbursement program. Once a community has been approved, they are entitled to participate in the program for the next five years.

“The idea to apply for the Summer Food Service Program evolved from concerned citizens recognizing a need and a community’s desire to keep our children healthy through the summer months,” Zobel said.

Five representatives from the Lake Mills Area Ministerial Association are on the board developing this program. They are Zobel, Krull, the Rev. Bill Peters of One in Christ Lutheran Parish, the Rev. Wendi Gillan of Asbury United Methodist Church and Youth and Family Ministry Director Janelle Gilbertson of Salem Lutheran Church.

The Lake Mills Area Ministerial Association plans to offer activities throughout the summer months possibly two to three times a week after lunch is served. According to Krull, activities could include those offered by the local Lake Mills Parks and Recreation Department, as well as activities offered by the Lake Mills Public Library in which literacy programs would be offered to children as a possibility for participation.

“It really does take a community to raise a child, which is what we are trying to do,” Zobel said. “This program allows all children to come and enjoy a free meal regardless of need. We will not check to see if a child qualifies or even ask where they came from. This program is simply about ensuring our children remain healthy throughout the summer.”