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OTTUMWA, IOWA -- The Salvation Army is cooking up a new meal program for Ottumwa children.

Cooks will soon serve free lunches to children ages one to eighteen.

It’s a new program that's paid for by the United States Department of Agriculture.

Pennington said the meals will help families provide healthy food for their kids over the summer. During the school year, the families take advantage of the district's Free and Reduced Lunch program.

When school ends, however, there are very few options for people to feed their children.

The Captain told KTVO that there's a lot of need for the summer lunch program.

"We know, for example, in a two block radius from where we're at, we have about 100 to 150 kids that are on free and reduced meals and that are eligible within a two block radius of this building,” Pennington said.

Starting June 8, meals will be served to any Ottumwa children from 12:30 to 1:30 Monday through Friday at the Salvation Army building.

Pennington told KTVO that kids can even get a free ride to the Salvation Army building from the Ottumwa Transit Authority.