Free lunches available for Wichita children during spring break

An all-volunteer effort will serve lunches to children at 16 sites in Wichita, Haysville and Oaklawn during spring break next week.

Wichita public school students’ spring break begins Friday with a teacher workday and continues through March 20. Starting Monday, Partners for Wichita and Kansas Food Bank will join with individual volunteers to provide and serve about 5,000 meals during its “Filling the Gap – Lunches for Kids” program.

“We welcome all children and youth,” said Danielle Ramirez, program coordinator for Partners for Wichita. “It’s something fun to do with the kids during spring break, and it’s also meeting an important need.”

Box lunches will be served from noon to 1 p.m. Monday through March 20. The lunches are free to anyone 18 or younger. No registration is required.

Some sites will offer craft projects or other activities for children during the meal time, Ramirez said.

The group is still accepting donations of fruits such as clementine oranges and bananas or fruit cups that don’t need refrigeration, she said. Donations can be taken to the food bank or to any of the sites between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. weekdays.

For more information, e-mail danielle@partnersforwichita.org or call 316-263-1389.

Following are the sites where lunches will be served.

▪ Delano: New Covenant Church, 1718 W. Douglas

▪ Haysville: Haysville United Methodist Church, 601 E. Grand

▪ North Wichita: Evergreen Neighborhood Resource Center, 2700 N. Woodland; Inter-Faith Ministries Villa Court, 930 N. Market

▪ Northeast Wichita: St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, 1525 N. Lorraine; Dellrose United Methodist Church, 1502 N. Dellrose; True Word Church, 1108 N. Oliver; Urban League of Kansas, 2418 E. Ninth St. North; Tabernacle Church of God in Christ, 1502 E. 17th St. North; Grant Chapel AME, 2750 N. Hillside

▪ Oaklawn: Lighthouse Church, 3401 E. 47th St. South

▪ South/southeast Wichita: Colvin Neighborhood Resource Center, 2820 S. Roosevelt; Praise Chapel, 612 S. Oliver; Hilltop Community Center, 1329 S. Terrace

▪ South/southwest Wichita: Cross Point Church, 1515 E. Harry; Salvation Army Orchard Corps, 1910 S. Everett

This story was originally published March 10, 2015 at 6:53 PM with the headline "Free lunches available for Wichita children during spring break."