CRC’s Weekend Kids’ Meals is back for the school year

Food destined for the Weekend Kids’ Meals program. Photo courtesy of the Manchester Community Resource Center.

submitted by Carol Wotring, Executive Director of CRC

A new school year is underway, and the Manchester Community Resource Center’s Weekend Kids’ Meals program is up and running again.

During the week, students in Manchester Community Schools can count on breakfast and lunch at school. Weekends can be a different story. Weekend Kids’ Meals fills that gap by sending participating students home each Friday with a bag of easy-to-prepare meals and snacks, so they have enough to eat until Monday.

If you would like your child to receive weekend meals, please reach out to your child’s school office, teacher, or school social worker for an application. Parents can also sign up by completing the WKM Electronic Enrollment Form on the Manchester Community Schools website. Enrollment is confidential, and students can join at any point during the school year.

The program is open to families who meet the income guidelines below.

Weekend Kids’ Meals depends on donations from individuals, businesses, churches, and community groups. The items that help most are shelf-stable, single-serving, and easy for a child to prepare on their own: individual cereal cups, instant oatmeal packets, cereal bars, shelf-stable milk, 100% juice boxes, macaroni and cheese cups, soup, SpaghettiOs or ravioli, ramen noodles, microwavable vegetable cups, single-serve rice cups, Hormel Compleats, Chef Boyardee microwave cups, raisins and dried fruit, granola bars, cheese or peanut butter crackers, trail mix, fruit and applesauce cups, jerky sticks, individual bags of popcorn.

Donations can be dropped off at the CRC Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, from 9am to 4pm, and Tuesday, from noon to 7pm. If your group would like to hold a food drive, please give us a call so we can plan it together.

Every bag that goes home on a Friday is made possible by our neighbors. Thank you for helping Manchester kids start each week ready to learn.

Food destined for the Weekend Kids’ Meals program. Photo courtesy of the Manchester Community Resource Center.

by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and a founder of the Manchester Mirror.