A dozen volunteers and more than 40 local children gathered in the basement of St. Patrick’s Parish in Thompsonville on July 15th to share food and activities as part of a free summer lunch program.

The Lunch Bunch offers free lunches for children up to age 18 at Saint Patrick’s Church Hall, 64 Pearl Street, from noon to 1:00 p.m. each weekday through August 27th. There is no need to register to participate.

Fun activities are offered every day. At the July 15th event, volunteers from Pepperidge Farm, United Way of North Central Connecticut, Community Renewal Team, End Hunger Connecticut!, Foodshare, the Connecticut State Department of Education and the United States Department of Agriculture, as well as local state legislators, read a story with the children and led them in an educational activity. Books were provided by the Enfield Public Library.

“The event today was awesome! There were so many smiles and great interaction between kids and volunteers,” remarked Roger Leblanc, president of the Enfield Food Shelf, one of the program partners. “Hands-on volunteer activities like this provide meaningful insight about community needs and how we all can help. I know that today’s volunteers will become some of our best advocates,” he added.

The Lunch Bunch is the result of a collaboration among Enfield Food Shelf, Community Renewal Team, End Hunger Connecticut!, Foodshare, Saint Patrick’s Parish, Educational Resources for Children, the Town of Enfield Social Services and United Way of North Central Connecticut.

Funding for The Lunch Bunch has been provided by United Way of North Central Connecticut and Foodshare, the USDA Food and Nutrition Service and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Community Renewal Team is sponsoring the program and is preparing the lunches.

To learn more about The Lunch Bunch, call (860) 253-6396 or dial United Way’s free 2-1-1 help and information line.