The first Norristown summer meal box distribution of the year was scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m., and by 11:15 a.m., there was already a line of cars around the block waiting to turn into the parking lot of Blockson Middle School.

The Norristown Area School District food service staff and volunteers had the operation down to a science. Cars drove up to the parking lot where pallets of food boxes and cases of watermelons were ready and waiting for them. Each car received two meal boxes stocked with non-perishables per child, one watermelon per family, and ice cream sandwiches for the kids as a summer treat. Norristown families also picked up boxes on foot, piling up the boxes in their arms, pull carts, or strollers. The stream of cars did not slow down for over an hour. The need is evident.

Hundreds of Norristown families walked away on the first Thursday of July with free boxes filled with milk, cereal, applesauce, pasta, apple juice and soft baked bars. These pantry staples will make sure that their kids have meals and snacks to get them through the long summer days.

Norristown Area School District has been providing summer meal box distributions throughout July for years. But it almost didn’t happen this year. With the end of the school year rapidly approaching, Norristown Area School District found out that the funding for their summer meals program was cut. Knowing that 7,500 kids in the Norristown area depend on their meals throughout the summer, they reached out to Share Food Program. Would we be able to provide meal boxes for their students?

Because of the support from our generous donors, Share was able to say yes.

“I can’t thank Share enough for stepping up for us,” said Nicole Melia, the Director of Food Services at the Norristown Area School District. The line of cars sent a clear message: the summer meals program is depended on. When programs like this get cut for lack of funding, it’s the families that rely on the accessibility of being able to easily pick up boxes of food who go without. Share is proud to be able to support our partners in getting nutritious food to kids and families who need it.