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KIRKSVILLE, MO. -- Fact Finder investigates how a reduced summer school in Kirksville will affect the Food 4 Kids program.

Food 4 Kids began in 2005 as a way to provide lunches to school age students once summer school ends.  Anybody who needs a lunch can stop by P.C. Mills, Memorial, Brashear, or Jaycee Parks in Kirksville weekdays from June 14th through August 6th.  The program is extended from six to eight weeks this year because Kirksville summer school is shorter than in past years.

“We’re thinking that maybe this year Brashear might be one of our bigger parks where it hasn’t been in the past because we’re going to encourage the kids that are going to summer school for these three weeks to stop by Brashear Park to pick up a lunch before they go home,” said Coordinator of Volunteers Bev Kitts, “There’s a lot of kids that were going to summer school and were provided breakfast and lunch when it started out.  We felt after summer school they wouldn’t have these lunches.”

In 2005, 3500 lunches were provided throughout the summer.  That number has grown to 9000.  Kitts says it’s a needed program because some kids may not get a lunch otherwise.

“People that volunteer, you’ll be surprised what a good feeling it gives you to help the kids and especially when the kids come back with comments on, like this is maybe the only food I’ll get or on a Friday they’ll want an extra lunch because they don’t know what they’re gonna have the next day,” said Kitts.

First United Methodist Church coordinates Food 4 Kids but Kitts says the community helps through donations and volunteers.

If you would like to make a donation you can make checks out to First United Methodist Church and mark “Food4 Kids” in the memo.  If you’re interested in volunteering, you can contact Kitts at 660-665-6219 or e-mail her at bjkitts@yahoo.com.