Cuyuna Lakes Lunch Bunch serves 3K meals this summer

By Paul Vold kkin@rjbroadcasting.com (9/26/21)

(Crosby, MN) — Despite lower numbers than recent years, the Cuyuna Lakes Lunch Bunch still served over 3,000 meals this summer to area youth.

The free summer lunch program organized by area churches and Cuyuna Regional Medical Center served 3,521 nutritious lunches, which was down from the 4,142 lunches in 2020 and 6,164 lunches in 2019. 

The lunches were served by volunteers on weekdays from June through August in Crosby, Deerwood, and Ironton. Meals were prepared and donated by members of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Crosby; Cascade Methodist Church and Salem Lutheran Church, both in Deerwood, St Joseph Chapter of St Vincent de Paul in Crosby and Deerwood, and employees of Cuyuna Regional Medical Center.

The Cuyuna Lakes Lunch Bunch has the goal of providing meals to students who normally receive free or reduced lunches through school programs, which also saw 57% of Crosby area school students receive free lunches.

For more information or to contribute to the Lunch Bunch, contact Ellen Brandt at St Vincent de Paul by email.