What started with a letter from the State Board of Education about summertime hunger among underprivileged children has grown into an all-ages-invited, no-questions-asked community picnic during summer days in Wauconda’s Cook Park.
Pastor Dawn Mass, who runs the meal program for the United Partnership for a Better Community in Wauconda, said the organization recently received a $22,000 grant that will allow it to continue feeding adults and children together in the park.
“We’re all about just sort of leveling the playing field, and we’re all eating together,” she said. Mass’ congregation, Messiah Evangelical Lutheran Church, administers the lunch program for United Partnership. The grant is from the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America.
In 2018, Mass received a letter from the State Board of Education stating that of all the Illinois school children who receive free or reduced cost lunches during the school year, only 10% are getting fed lunch in the summer. According to Mass, the letter was sent to various congregations in the state.
So later that year, Mass worked with the United Partnership to distribute free lunches to school children. Every day in Osage Park, volunteers would serve about 50 meals to children. The lunches came from the Northern Illinois Food Bank, Mass said, adding that for each child’s lunch, the Food Bank was reimbursed $3.96 from the United States Department of Agriculture.
“We were only allowed to feed children,” Mass said, because of USDA rules. However, she added, the volunteers at the program soon noticed that the caretakers of the children, who brought them for lunch, were also hungry.
“We just wanted to feed adults, too,” Mass said. The partnership started to apply for grants that would allow it to also feed the adults who showed up.
Funds were received, and this past summer, the program mushroomed, moving to Cook Park, where volunteers served 6,797 meals.
“We served everyone,” Mass said. In addition to children and those who brought them for meals, food was distributed to senior citizens, and also kids visiting from Camp Wauconda, the park district’s day program.
“We always fed all of the Camp Wauconda kids,” Mass said, adding that many people from the community now attend the lunch. “The park literally comes alive.”
About 10 volunteers a day are required to distribute the lunches, according to Mass, who said when she first asked the community for volunteers, the police and fire departments, as well as the Wauconda Area Library were among the first to step up.
“Our volunteer response is outstanding,” she said.
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Mass said the lunches have a large variety of foods, from fajita wraps with chicken and vegetables, to muffins and hard-boiled eggs. All meals include milk.
“Their meals are so healthy and wonderful,” Mass said.
In addition to providing food for the hungry, Mass has another purpose in mind with the community meals.
“Our biggest goal is to get rid of the stigma,” Mass said. “We just want everyone to get the food they need and be able to get it without feeling embarrassed.”
In addition to the meals in the park, Mass said the grant will help pay for the community meals her church offers once a month. She said she would like to be able to offer the meal weekly.
“I feel like we can open it up even further” with the grant money, Mass said.
Village Administrator Kevin Timony said the summer meal program fills an important role for underprivileged children in Wauconda.
“When school’s out of session,” Timony said, “some of these kids don’t have an option.”
Tom Chrysler, a member of both Mass’ parish and the United Partnership, volunteers daily with the summer lunch program. He said the latest grant is the fourth received for the program since it started last year, and it is by far the largest.
Chrysler added the way the meals are distributed helps to “erase the stigma” of accepting free food. There is no paperwork to fill out or proof of income required to get the meal.
“We don’t ask any questions,” Chrysler said. “We treat everyone equally.”
He also pointed out that someone with a lot of money might sit down for a summer lunch next to someone who has no money.
“Anyone can come,” he said, “No one knows anything. It’s just wonderful how it works out.”
Mary McIntyre is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.