Volunteers are needed to ensure United Way of Northeastern Minnesota (UWNEMN)’s free summer lunch program, Meet Up and Chow Down, can once again provide free summer lunches to all children ages 1-18 regionwide as planned starting June 8.
The program is at-risk in in Babbitt and Cook due to lack of volunteer coverage at this time. Volunteers are needed Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays in Babbitt; in Cook, volunteers are needed Mondays and Tuesdays.
“We’ve never had to close a site due to lack of volunteers,” said UWNEMN Community Impact Coordinator Michelle Lampton. “We’ve had some close calls, but our region always comes through to feed our local children.”
Meet Up and Chow Down lunches will be prepared by local schools, grocery stores, and restaurants. Volunteers and UWNEMN staff will hand out bag lunches from 12 pm to 1 pm Monday through Thursday each week, rain or shine, June 8 - September 3 at the following locations:
- Babbitt City Park
- Biwabik City Park
- Chisholm Kiwanis Park
- Cook Public Library
- Hibbing Bennett Park
- Hibbing HRA Playground
- Hoyt Lakes Public Library
- International Falls – Backus Community Center
- Keewatin City Park
- Mountain Iron Public Library
- Nashwauk Rec Center
- Virginia AEOA
- Virginia Pine Mill Court
- Virginia Olcott Park
Additional volunteers will be on-site Thursdays distributing Summer Buddy Backpacks – bags with food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner that children can take home for the weekend – thanks to support from the Christopher and Sheila Jones Foundation.
Meals are provided at no-cost to local families thanks to funding from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Minnesota Department of Education (MDE)’s Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) which require a thorough review process for safety and nutrition. Meet Up and Chow Down is the only program of its kind to receive SFSP funding; all other SFSP partners operate from one kitchen at one site.
“This program is unique in the state, just like our region,” said UWNEMN Executive Director Erin Shay. “We are doing our best to bring this program to as many communities as possible to remove travel barriers – and with more sites than staff, we couldn’t do it without volunteers,” said UWNEMN Executive Director Erin Shay.
In addition to Babbitt and Cook, volunteers are needed multiple days/week throughout August in Chisholm, Hibbing, Hoyt Lakes, Keewatin, Mountain Iron, and Nashwauk.
Individuals, companies, or organizations interested in staffing a Meet Up and Chow Down site for one day a week can visit www.unitedwaynemn.org/volunteer.
Meet Up and Chow Down lunches and Buddy Backpacks will not be served June 29 – July 2 in observance of federal holidays.
In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.
Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.
To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ad-3027.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:
1. mail:
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or
2. fax:
(833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
3. email:
Program.Intake@usda.gov