Wayland Union Schools plans to h
ave its second summer free meals program for kids ages 18 and under, and the Leighton Township Board gave its blessing for it to be held at its pavilion near the softball diamonds in Moline.
The schools originally wanted to have the series at Hunters Glen mobile home park, but a lot of expansion and construction there this summer make that difficult. There was talk about moving the meals to the Leighton District Library, but that site is being expanded with the addition of the new township hall this summer.
The proposed program site change still is subject to approval from the Michigan Department of Education.
Leighton Board members were told in a letter from Wayland Schools Finance Director Bill Melching that free brown bag-style lunches would be served to up to 170 children Monday through Friday throughout the summer. The kids would be expected to be at the site for about 40 minutes each time.
The program is open to all children at various sites around the school district with the idea that during the summer the kids should get at least one nutritious meal each weekday. It was rated a success last year under the leadership of Melching and food service director Sarah Parr Hawkins.
“I don’t think that pavilion could hold as many as 170 kids,” observed Township Clerk Mary Lou Nieuwenhuis.
However, the clerk later added, “I talked to Ken Ritz (of the Moline Softball Association), and he didn’t have a problem with it, as long as the association didn’t have to do any extra work, like cleanup.”
The vote to allow use of the pavilion was unanimous.
