WHAT IS WEEKEND EATS?
Presence Church is an active Church in the local community with a large focus on local youth, young adults, and reaching out to others; especially families who face the challenge of meal insecurity. Recently, our local school systems suspended their Backpack Program where students were sent home with several meals for the weekend. We want to fill this void and begin distributing lunches every Friday through our new program “Weekend Eats”. This Summer we are dedicated to combat hunger in our children. For many of these children, the schools' free breakfast and lunch programs provide the only guaranteed meals each day during the week. We want to help meet their needs on the weekend.
In the Summer of 2023 alone, we were able to feed over 1,052 children, distributing over 4,608+ meals.
Due to an increase in need, we also do Weekend Eats during scheduled school breaks.
HOW IT WORKS
WHO: Children K-12 are welcome, no questions asked!
WHAT: Free pre-packaged lunches for the weekend. Items wiIl vary from week to week.
WHEN: Every Friday from Noon-2pm beginning June 16th. Reserve your spot by registering weekly @ presencemi.com/weekendeats.
Register up to 5 children. This means weekend meals provided for 5 children per registration.
WHAT DO I NEED TO DO?: Just register to reserve your spot weekly so we have enough food prepared. Registration will be open weekly from Saturday-Wednesday night. Once it closes, you won’t be able to register until the next week. This allows us to prepare accordingly for the distribution on Friday.
HOW IT WORKS: Distribution will be a drive through format. Vehicles will be directed upon arrival.
**First come first serve basis, while supplies last**
WHAT COMES IN OUR LUNCH PACKAGES?
- Breakfast items like cereal, oatmeal, or granola bars
- Easy to prepare meals like mac and cheese, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, Deli sandwiches, Bosco sticks, etc.
- Bread
- Milk or juice
- Fresh or canned fruit
- Fresh or canned vegetables
- Snacks
HOW CAN I BE A PART?
We would love for you to partner with us by donating! The goal is to provide several healthy meal options that are already prepared or easily prepared. The meals will be so easy to prepare that the children will be able to do it without parental assistance. This means we have to be very particular with the types of foods we distribute. Over the years, we were successful in providing food for thousands of families through our homeless ministry, food pantry and other programs. This year, we hope to provide more than we ever have as the need is greater. By donating, you will be directly contributing to providing a much needed service to children in our community.
We are requesting that you donate gift cards or funds that would be used for the same purpose. Whether your donation is monetary or by gift card to local grocery stores, it will help significantly.
Physical items we accept:
- Boxes of individually bagged chips
- Juice Boxes, Hugs, or small water bottles
- Individual fruit cupsAny individual packaged crackers, Rice Krispies, fruit snacks, granola bars, etc.
- Individual Pop tarts, mini cereal boxes or oatmeal packages
- Macaroni or Rice cups
*All donated items must be NEW and unopened. We will not accept out of date items. We reserve the right to deny any donated items for any reason*
Questions? Email weekendeats@presencemi.com