Feeding young souls

WASILLA — For most kids in the Valley, summer vacation is an exercise in cramming the most fun and adventure into long hours of daylight. For others, the summer months are an extended struggle with hunger and worry over getting enough to eat.

That’s where The Children’s Lunchbox comes in, said program director Lynette Ortolano. The nonprofit program has enjoyed 16 years of success in Anchorage as an offshoot of Beans Café. Now in its fourth year in the Valley, The Children’s Lunchbox is starting to realize the scope of its potential to serve Mat-Su children, she said.

“I was a hungry kid when I was a kid, so I really know what that’s all about,” Ortolano said. “I understand that shame for a kid to actually say, ‘I’m hungry.’ That’s something I really want to do away with. It should be fine to say, ‘I’m hungry.’”

That’s why the Lunchbox upgraded the kitchen facilities at the Boys and Girls of Mat-Su and, now that school’s dismissed for the summer, is serving about 300 meals a day — breakfast, lunch and dinner — out of that kitchen.

This summer also marks an expansion of services for the food program, Ortolano said. In addition to serving meals at the Boys and Girls Club, the Lunchbox delivers fresh lunches to the Food Pantry of Wasilla and Wonderland Park in Wasilla. The program also continues its association with providing meals for kids in Denali Family Services and snacks for Family Promise Mat-Su.

“We’ve also most recently picked up Beaver Lake Camp out at Big Lake,” Ortolano said.

The goal, she said, is to make good, wholesome meals available to kids who, for whatever reason, don’t have access to nutritious food every day.

“Unfortunately, one of the challenges with the inability to afford healthy food is that kids are getting a lot of things that are less expensive, like ramen and mac and cheese,” she said. “But for a kid that’s 7 or 8 years old, that’s not good nutrition.”

On the menu for lunch Monday was nacho chip dip with tortilla chips, mandarin orange fruit cup and milk. Other days it’s an oriental chicken wrap or a spaghetti dinner at the club, Ortolano said.

Food Pantry director Eddie Ezelle said partnering with The Children’s Lunchbox was an easy decision.

“When the parents come to pick up from us, we tell them to have the kids come out and get a free meal,” he said. “They’re already here, so why not help feed the kids?”

Both Ezelle and Ortolano said summertime in the Mat-Su in an especially important time for kids who may not have enough to eat. Those who qualify for the free school lunch program don’t have that access in the summer.

“I’d like to see more kids (taking advantage) of this,” Ezelle said. “I know there are a lot more hungry kids out there. They haven’t really studied the statistics to know how many kids are hungry all summer long. There are hundreds more than (those already being fed by The Children’s Lunchbox) that need it, that I can guarantee.”

While there aren’t any accurate studies that show how many hungry children there may be in the Mat-Su, one place to start is the Mat-Su Borough School District, Ortolano said. The district has estimated there are more than 800 homeless or unattended students enrolled.

That The Children’s Lunchbox is making a difference is evident, Ortolano said. Since the program started at the Boys and Girls Club, enrollment in the club has doubled, she said. She also said there’s a long way to go in reaching all the hungry children.

Contact Greg Johnson at 352-2269 or greg.johnson@frontiersman.com.

What: Meals served by The Children’s Lunchbox

Where: Boys and Girls Club of Mat-Su, Food Pantry of Wasilla, Wonderland Park

When: breakfast, lunch and dinner at the club; 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Food Pantry; 1 to 2 p.m. at Wonderland Park

Cost: Free for children ages 18 and younger

Learn more: thechildrenslunchbox.org