‘The need is so huge’: Summer brings fight against hunger as Lincoln kids lose school meals

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — With summer break about two weeks away, the Lincoln community is preparing to feed thousands of hungry children.

Around 45% of students in Lincoln Public Schools are on the free and reduced lunch program.

Those 18,826 students will need a place to get food this summer.

So Matt Talbot Kitchen & Outreach and the owners of Little Free Pantries are getting ready for a fight against hunger.

“Our numbers will increase substantially,” said Victoria O’Neil, the director of hunger relief at Matt Talbot. “We’re already seeing it, and school isn’t really out yet.”

She said nearly 200 people are eating at the kitchen every night, which is much higher than normal.

“In years past, we’ve been able to provide second servings,” she said. “But now, because of the numbers increasing so much, we serve for an hour, and we’ve not been able to do that (serve seconds) now because of those numbers increasing.”

Lincoln families have a few options for where to get a free meal, including the dozens of Little Free Pantries that are spread across the city.

“Most of us pantry owners have been in this spot ourselves where we don’t have any food, and have nowhere to go,” said Amanda Gershon, the owner of a pantry near 46th and Holdrege streets.

The pantries are open 24/7, and people in the community help keep them stocked.

Gershon said the pantries are so popular that they’re often cleaned out shortly after being filled.

And she expects families will need more help than ever this summer.

“I’ve done this for four years; this is by far my busiest year,” she said. “The need is so huge right now, I’m afraid we’re going to have some of these kids growing up without the proper nutrients to grow right.”

O’Neil believes there’s a big reason why the need is so great: “The economy. I mean, that’s a big factor, the cost of food.”

Both O’Neil and Gershon said it will take the entire community to keep kids fed this summer.

You can volunteer at Matt Talbot on its website.

And if you’d like to donate to a Little Free Pantry, check out this map of all the pantries in Lincoln.