To the editor:
This summer, children and teens can eat free at various sites throughout Lincoln County. Like in past years, Healthy Lincoln County is the local sponsor for the U.S. Department of Agriculture-funded Summer Food Service Program. As a result, any child, 18 or under, can receive a free meal at any of our sites with no questions asked. In addition, no registration or paperwork is required. The summer meals van has also returned this year to specific neighborhoods in Waldoboro, Wiscasset, Edgecomb, and Damariscotta.
With the generous support of AOS 98, RSU 40, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, the Boothbay Region and CLC YMCA, Camp Knickerbocker, and the Wiscasset Community Center, meals are being distributed across Lincoln County. Many community members (far too many to thank in this letter) are helping to organize and carry out the program.
Food insecurity is a serious issue in Maine. According to the USDA, over 13% of Mainers lack reliable access to an adequate supply of nutritious food, and one in five children struggle with food insecurity. Sadly, Maine has the highest rate of food insecurity in all of New England. This need does not disappear in the summer months, nor is any part of Lincoln County spared.
For more information and a complete list of sites and times, please find the Lincoln County Summer Meals Facebook page. You may also contact me directly at lemmons@healthylincolncounty.org or 563-1330. Thank you for taking an interest in helping to provide meals to local children.
Sincerely,
Lee Emmons
Summer Meals Project Coordinator
Healthy Lincoln County
