Over the summer while school is out and cafeterias are closed, underserved children may not have access to nutritious food. Meridian Waste has partnered with the Wright City Community Food Pantry’s summer lunch program to provide today’s meal to 47 childrens, teens, and their families.

Pastor Joe Purl of the Wright City Church of the Nazarene, which houses the community food pantry, credits all churches, businesses, and volunteers in the community with filling the pantry and providing meals.

The luncheon was held at the Wright City North Apartment Complex, where the program began two years ago with a call from the manager asking Purl how to help their residents. Today, volunteers from the Food Pantry and Meridian Waste lined up to serve the children and assist with the meal.

Meridian Waste purchased 60 boxed lunches from Subway Restaurants, providing six-inch sandwiches, chips, fruit, cookies, and a beverage for each attendee. The remaining 13 meals were donated to a similar senior citizen care program.

Lunches are served in the community each day throughout the program, and an estimated 1,200 lunches are served over the six-week period to children in need.