Lemont Township Launches Summer Lunch Assistance Program

—Submitted by Lemont Township

How often do you think about if you have enough food in the pantry, or funds coming in to feed your children during the summer break? In Lemont Combined School District 113a alone (not including Lemont High School, or our Lemont Catholic Schools) 11 to 13 percent of the students qualify for the state assisted free/reduced lunch program.

For a snapshot of the need that is present, Old Quarry Middle School has 816 students, 13 percent of those students (113) qualify for this food assistance program. Realizing and responding to this need, Lemont Township will be launching an important food relief program targeted at assisting families who receive the assistance of Free/Reduced Lunches during the school year and are without the assistance of lunches during the summer months.

Lemont Township has committed to providing monthly fresh food vouchers to use at Aldi Food Store (in addition to the Lemont Food Pantry assistance) to assist more than 63 households here in our community. The $25, $50, or $75 vouchers (depending on number of children in household) will provide much needed assistance and put a bit more food in a household for lunches that were provided for them on school days.

The local poverty level in Lemont that qualifies a family for free/reduced lunches and Food Pantry assistance is 185 percent of the Federal Poverty Level: $3630.63 monthly/$43,567.56 annual for a family of 4. It is the hope of Lemont Township Supervisor Steve Rosendahl, that this Summer Lunch Voucher Program will not only provide the much needed assistance of putting food in a home with school age children, but that others who are able to assist in meeting these basic and real needs will also offer support for those that are qualifying and meeting the crisis needs of more than 100 households in our community.

All current Lemont Township/Lemont Food Pantry families are eligible. If you reside in Lemont Township, your child is receiving free/reduced lunch and your gross household income is 185 percent or less, you are most likely eligible to receive Lemont Food Pantry assistance and benefit from Lemont Township Summer Lunch Voucher Program. To inquire about Lemont Township/Lemont Food Pantry Assistance and the application process please call Lemont Township at 630-257-2522 and ask for Terri O’Neill-Borders, Community Services ex 13 or Debbie Schmitt, Human Services ex 19 to schedule an appointment or to inquire about the application and required documentation needed.