Camp Woodside serves free lunch this summer

Camp Woodside is the new name for the 2-year-old Summer Lunch Program the Greater Asutintown Ministerial Association (GAMA) started last year at Woodside Elementary School.

Camp Woodside will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday starting June 14 through July 30 with a “Family Cookout” July 29.

A different Austintown church will partner with the program staff each week to provide fun activities and serve a free lunch to the children.

This year’s program is open to all students who have completed kindergarten through fifth grade in the Austintown school system.

The lunches will be provided through the Mahoning Youngstown Community Action Partnership and paid for through the free and reduced lunch program of the United States Department of Agriculture and Ohio Department of Education.

The camp is free. More than 2,000 registration packets have been distributed to Woodside, Watson, Lynn Kirk and Frank Ohl Elementary Schools in Austintown and can be found on the Camp Woodisde website at www.campwoodside.org.

“Our vision is to see this Summer Lunch Program expanded to other locations in Austintown and the Mahoning Valley,” said Program Director Nate Childers.

In order to do this, they are seeking corporate sponsorships as well as corporate, business, and individual donations to help fill some of the needs now and in the future.

Items like a sound system, name tags, anti-bacterial wipes, individual packaged and nutritional snacks, homemade cookies, gift cards to local discount stores are in need.

Help in the way of program assistants, interns, summer staff and volunteer teams will help enhance the programs.