Over 76,000 Lunches Donated By MUST Ministries To Cherokee Kids

CHEROKEE COUNTY, GA — More than 76,000 children in Cherokee County were fed this summer thanks to MUST Ministries which distributed the meals though its Summer Lunch program this year.

Thanks to the generosity of MUST Ministries supporters, 76,608 lunches were provided to Cherokee County children during the 24th annual Summer Lunch Program. MUST expressed particular thanks to host sites at Hillside United Methodist Church, Canton First United Methodist Church, Heritage Fellowship, and New Life Church.

“It’s a miracle, really," President and CEO Rev. Dr. Ike Reighard said. “With the money given, supplies donated and valiant volunteers preparing and distributing lunches, we were able to complete the program this year and plan new ways to accomplish this again next summer.”

The health department made changes in the way sandwiches are prepared, so volunteers were creative in finding certified kitchens to use and many sandwiches were purchased with donations from the community.

“The outpouring of love and concern for our youngest at-risk clients has been overwhelming,” Reighard said.

In looking to the future, the summer lunch program will always need juice boxes, fruit cups, pretzels, granola bars and other items to complete the meal. Brown paper bags with riddles or decoration show the children others care.

Even with new legislation being introduced in Georgia to help charities be able to provide food to those in need, the MUST team is not sure their original model used for 23 years will be fully restored.

“We’ll have to wait and see what the legislation will allow," Reighard said. "We are encouraged by how many legislators and state leaders have called to offer help and support for what we are trying to accomplish.”

In the meantime, thousands of children in Cherokee county were served during the summer and are back in school where they qualify for free and reduced lunch.

MUST is asking donors to keep bringing food for the MUST Neighborhood Pantry program in the public schools.

“We have 33 school food pantries in Cobb and Cherokee schools and these same children we feed through Summer Lunch come to our pantries with their families to receive groceries. We need cereal, canned chicken, chili, beef stew and jelly most,” Reighard said.

In MUST’s service area alone, 475,000 are food insecure.

“Our goal is to do more, feed more, help more,” Reighard said, “and we’re committed to finding a way to make that happen. Summer Lunch was in a critical situation this year, but our supporters helped make it possible despite the last-minute setback."

To learn more, visit MUST Ministries.