CHARLOTTE, Mich — Shocked to learn that a summer food program was operating right in her Charlotte neighborhood, Kimberly Cramer immediately donated $20 to Charlotte Assembly of God, the church distributing bags of lunches at Oak Park last Friday.
- The Meet Up and Eat Up program provides free meals to children under 18 during summer months.
- Charlotte Assembly of God has participated in the program for 13 years.
- Michigan served over 7 million meals through the program last year.
WATCH: NEIGHBORS HOPE FOR FREE LUNCHES THROUGH MICHIGAN EDUCATION BUDGET AS SUMMER FOOD PROGRAM ENDS
"I think it's phenomenal. I think it's great," Cramer said.
Cramer is an advocate for helping others in her community and believes more people should step up.
"We need to be much more humanitarian than we are," Cramer said.
WATCH: PACKED SCHOOL LUNCH NOW COSTS $6.15
Associate Pastor Robin McSkimming says community support, as well as federal funding, helps sustain their 13-year involvement with the program.
"And we'll have people [donate] throughout the summer, which is really nice," McSkimming said.
The program provides free meals to children under 18 during summer months to combat food insecurity and help families struggling with rising costs.
"A lot of people are getting a lot more calls because they're not able to stretch the dollar as much as they could before," McSkimming said.
WATCH: JACKSON-AREA SUPERINTENDENTS CONCERNED: COULD MONEY FOR SCHOOL LUNCHES RUN OUT?
The impact of the program extends far beyond Charlotte. RDN Dr. Deanne Kelleher, Director of Nutrition Services for the Michigan Department of Education, highlighted its statewide significance.
"Last year we served over 7 million meals," Kelleher said.
The program received $29.3 million in federal reimbursements in 2024, and Kelleher anticipates similar funding next year.
"We have had no indications that the funding would not be the same as it has been for previous years," Kelleher said.
WATCH: SCHOOL LUNCH FUNDING UNCERTAIN AS MICHIGAN BUDGET NEGOTIATIONS CONTINUE
While the summer program helps during vacation months, free meals continue through the school year. However, funding for universal free lunches is set to expire on September 30 unless lawmakers approve a new education budget.
"We are hopeful and waiting for the budget to be approved and signed," Kelleher said.
Charlotte resident David Baker hopes students will continue to receive free meals during the school year.
"I don't know how many families out there can afford to pay for a student's lunch but there are some out there that definitely need help," Baker said.
Cramer echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the importance of supporting vulnerable community members.
"We just need to do better for our kids. We need to do better for people who are hurting. We just need to do better," Cramer said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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