The Joshua Project’s summer food programs are rounding into shape.
Sharon Springs is a newcomer to the Summer Lunch program, Schoharie may follow, and the Backpack program will be in place.
Sharon Springs joins Middleburgh, Cobleskill, Central Bridge and Richmondville in Summer Lunch; those four sites served 8,000 meals last summer.
Pat Costello said Sharon Springs may host as many as 100 people per day, and so “Sharon Springs immediately becomes our second-largest site in the county,” next to Middleburgh.
The Schoharie Library contacted Mr. Costello about having Summer Lunch two days a week. A site is still in question.
“There are still details to work out, but we’ll support them,” Mr. Costello said.
Intended at first for those in need, Summer Lunch is open to anyone, and midday meals have become a social occasion for many people.
The Backpack program gives a backpack of food each to families in need during the summer, when kids don’t get meals in school. Each backpack has enough food to feed a family for a week or 10 days.
A $25,000 donation from the United Way has paid for the Backpack program for 11 years, but the money may not be enough this summer, Mr. Costello said.
“This is for the first time,” he said. “It’s the soaring cost of food.”
If the United Way’s donation isn’t enough, Joshua volunteers will raise money and seek further donations.
“We’ll have the Backpack program. We’ll make it work,” Mr. Costello said.
The Joshua Project depends on donations for all of its programs, including Backpack. To donate, send a check to the Joshua Project, PO Box 413, Middleburgh, NY 12122.