Summer vacation is just a few days away—pencils and backpacks will be stuffed into closets, flip flops and tank tops will be donned, and lazy picnics in the park will replace soggy peanut butter and jelly sandwiches smashed in brown sack lunches.

In our community, over 22,000 school-aged children receive free or reduced-cost meals during the school year. Summer vacation for this population translates into hunger. When school buildings are locked up at the end of June numerous children are left without breakfast and lunch. Given the current economic situation, continuing layoffs and rising food prices, the number of children at risk of going hungry in Vancouver this summer is likely to rise.

Since 2004, Share, a non-profit organization in Vancouver that provides food and shelter to those in need, has partnered with Evergreen and Vancouver School Districts as well as Washington State University—Vancouver to feed these children. Share provides in excess of 500 food packs each week to twenty-four local Vancouver and Evergreen schools. These packs are distributed to families who counselors have identified as having the highest need. 95% of the recipients are elementary school children.

Weekly food packs include: peanut butter or canned tuna, canned fruits and vegetables, canned soup, beans/chili, pasta, tuna helper, macaroni and cheese, a loaf of bread, and a small snack like a granola bar.

Share launched SLAM (Summer Learning Active Minds) in 2006. They partnered with WSU-V and a vast network of volunteers to administer emergency food relief. SLAM grants extra food and two meals a day over summer vacation to qualifying families. Tarinn Smith, Hunger Response Director for Share, says that, in addition to providing much needed nutrition to families, the program also offers fun, healthy activities throughout the summer for a population which might otherwise engage in risk-taking behaviors.

Smith notes that SLAM targets at-risk children.

“The curriculum works to increase development, academic, athletic, and social skills in children—many of whom have experienced gaps in their education as they move from to school to school. Several of their parents have never finished high school and the children often follow in their footsteps. Low-income children are left out of opportunities such as OMSI’s programs and services, which their middle income and high income counterparts experience over the summer,” Smith explained.

This summer Share anticipates to greatly exceed the 300 SLAM participants they had last year. The program serves preschool and elementary school age children. Share has expanded its outreach to include two additional sites at Martin Luther King and Silver Star Elementary Schools.

Children who attend this summer’s program will have the added benefit of weekly OMSI science camps. Thanks to grant money, OMSI staffers will travel to Share sites in Vancouver and expose the children to a variety of hands-on science projects.

Susan Oberst, Director of Volunteers for Share, says that volunteers play a critical role in the success of SLAM. Teachers and teacher aides donate time in the classroom setting up art, language, and science projects for the children.

Share also recruits community volunteers for meal preparation, backpack delivery, meal serving, field trip chaperones, bus monitors, and site clean-up. The summer program runs five days a week from July 6 through Aug. 14.

“We don’t have enough volunteers to sustain the level of growth our program is experiencing,” reported Oberst. “We’re hoping people will commit to help out one day a week or even every other week throughout the summer. We have a number of returning volunteers but the demand is so much higher this summer we want to make sure we have consistency.”

Each site operates from 8:15 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday and requires four to six volunteers per day. Oberst knows that once someone has volunteered with the program they’ll be hooked.

“It just takes one look at those cute little faces,” said Oberst. “Our volunteers know that they’re helping to feed a belly and be part of a solution.”

While Share staffers are confident that volunteers find the process rewarding, they’re also concerned about external factors like the warm summer weather, weddings, and vacation plans in deterring new volunteers. Those who have a few extra hours to share a lunch this summer are asked to contact Share at 360-750-4436 or find them online at: www.sharevancouver.org.

Kate Dyer-Seeley is a mom, a writer, a coffee junkie and avid reader. Her column appears every other issue in The Voice.