Munchin’ Mondays is a summertime food service each week through July in Killbuck

Fusion church has to-go boxes for those who can’t stay

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• Fusion Community Church in Killbuck offers free lunches to all children in the West Holmes Local School District every Monday during June and July.
• The program, called Munchin’ Mondays, aims to provide nutritious meals to students who may miss school lunches during the summer.
• The church also donated funds to Killbuck Elementary to pay off student lunch debt.
• The free lunches are served at Killbuck Community Park noon-1 p.m., with to-go boxes available.

For some students it is tough being away from school because they miss out on the nutritious meals offered throughout the school year.

“We had a mom share with us that lunch is so hard sometimes for her kids as they either aren’t hungry or just want to graze all day,” Snyder said. “She said Mondays are now easy. A trip to the park for lunch and playground time.”

That is part of what inspired Fusion Community Church Pastor Jason Snyder to come up with Munchin’ Mondays, a day when Snyder and volunteers from the Killbuck church offer lunch for all of children in the West Holmes Local School District.

The program began last year, using a grant and donations from the church community, ranging from eight to 20 lunches served each Munchin’ Monday. They had 40 kids show up the first Monday this year.

Menu fare from sandwiches to pizza and tacos with dessert thrown in, too

“It was brand-new last year, and I think more people know about it now,” Snyder said. “We did more publicity about it this year, hopefully more people know about it. We’ve had signs made up for it, and that kind of stuff.

“We could have anywhere up to 50 show up, I really don’t know what to expect, which makes this extremely hard to prepare for,” he said. “We’re starting today with a cookout, and I can put more hotdogs on the grill as needed.”

Snyder said some Mondays the menu will feature ham and cheese sandwiches and others it may be pizza or tacos.

“We try and mix it up a little,” he said. “There is always a staple, along with a fruit and a vegetable, and a dessert of some sort. You’ve got to have that. And a drink, either water or juice.”

Snyder stops at Harvey’s Market to get apples or another fruit, or like they had on the initial Monday this year, squeezable apple sauce.

Munchin’ Mondays take place noon-1 p.m. every Monday in June and July at Killbuck Community Park. To-go boxes are offered to those who can’t stay.

“We were going to go into August last year, but we ran into fair week,” Snyder said.

About Fusion Community Church

Fusion Community Church contributed $2,800 to Killbuck Elementary School to pay off the lunchroom debt.

“We were able to raise that fund in three weeks, leading up to the end of the school year, which is awesome,” Snyder said.

Killbuck Elementary School Principal Brian Lash accepted the donation on behalf of the school.

Fusion Community Church celebrated its first anniversary on Easter Sunday. The congregation meets Sundays at Duncan Theater in Killbuck.