Operation Sandwich Has Kicked Off This Summer

Area schools are officially out of session for the summer months, which means no more school lunches are offered. United Way is working hard to make sure students still get fed with the kick-off of Operation Sandwich this week.

For the fifth summer in a row the Brainerd School District has teamed up with United Way to help fight youth hunger. For the first time this year, Raboin and Frances Law Firm are helping to sponsor the event. All of the food is strictly based on donations to provide for students a healthy meal; they may not have received otherwise.

“There are a lot of children who have free and reduced lunch during the school year and when that is not available to them, they need some help with food,” said Tammy Bengtson, the United Way Community Resources Coordinator.

The Brainerd community recognizes that there is a need, and many have stepped up not only to fill the void but also the students’ stomachs.

Over a dozen volunteers gather each day to put together about 200 bagged lunches for the students.

The first few days of this year’s Operation Sandwich have seen large numbers of both children and volunteers. The coordinator is very passionate about the project and enjoys packing the kids full of protein.

“Nobody likes to be hungry and for kids to be able to come every day and know that they have something they can eat, it means a lot to me,” Tammie Benson the Operation Sandwich Coordinator said.

There are 7 locations, including a new one in Barrows where lunch will be served. Operation Sandwich will continue to run every Monday through Thursday until August 31^st.

The program is still in need of some donations for their upcoming lunches. For information on times and locations you can click this link: http://www.unitedwaynow.org/operation-sandwich-2017