Never Miss a Chance to Do the Most Good
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Never Miss a Chance to Do the Most Good
Please enter your name, email and zip code below to sign up!
HELP US STOCK UP ON BROWN BAG LUNCH SUPPLIES
Packing and sharing thousands of FREE cold lunches requires a stockpile of supplies.
Donate supplies Fund our supply list
VOLUNTEERS ARE THE HEART OF OUR SUMMER BROWN BAG LUNCH PROGRAM
Kindnesses, big and small - THAT's the secret ingredient in every cold lunch we pack and share in Fond du Lac each summer, ALL summer long. Join us!
Food costs in the US are up 11.4% from a year ago, the most since 1979
The Salvation Army's Brown Bag Program began in 1993 in response to the tough choices parents had to make each summer. We never could have predicted that 30 years later, the program would still be necessary. The truth is, because of inflation, this program has never had more of an opportunity to supply a necessary kindness than now.
Food for thought
“THE TEST OF OUR PROGRESS IS NOT WHETHER WE ADD MORE TO THE ABUNDANCE OF THOSE WHO HAVE MUCH; IT IS WHETHER WE PROVIDE ENOUGH FOR THOSE WHO HAVE TOO LITTLE.” Franklin D. Roosevelt
Summer Brown Bag Lunch Giveaway Celebrates 30 years in 2023!
Fond du Lac's oldest free summer brown bag lunch program feeds children (and their parents/guardians) every Tuesday and Thursday, June - August, and has since 1993.
Each nutritional sack lunch includes a peanut butter or meat sandwich, chips/snack, vegetable/fruit, dessert item & beverage.
OFFICIAL 2023 BROWN BAG LUNCH DATES, DISTRIBUTION LOCATIONS AND TIMES:
Every Tuesday & Thursday, June 13 thru August 24
FREE LUNCHES AVAILABLE AT THESE FOND DU LAC LOCATIONS
Maplewood Commons, 912 Martin Ave. Parking Lot (11 - 11:15 am)
Church of Peace, 401 S. Military Rd. Parking Lot (11 - 11:15 am)
Lakeside Garden Apartments, 409 N. Peters Ave (11:30 am - 12:15 pm)
*Children may pick up their own lunch. An adult must be present for any family wanting more than one lunch.
Join us for our 30th year providing summer lunches for Fond du Lac families!
With inflation pushing food prices higher, there is wonderful opportunity for big hearts to share or help fund the ingredients we'll need for the anticipated 5,000 lunches we'll pack and share this summer.
OUR GROWING LIST OF SPONSORS:
A&W of Fond du Lac
Faris Gourmet Popcorn & Treats
Eaton's Fresh Pizza & Deli
To make a donation towards the ingredient list or talk with us about hosting a Brown Bag Lunch collection on our behalf, please email
FDLSAinfo@usc.salvationarmy.org
HISTORY
Claudette DeGarmo (Auman) was The Salvation Army Caseworker Fond du Lac parents in distress came to for help. “It broke my heart knowing kids and parents didn’t enjoy summer because the family food budget didn’t stretch far enough,” DeGarmo recalls. “Kids were going hungry. Major Moore (The Salvation Army FdL Officer at the time) encouraged me to create a solution, reiterating the philosophy The Salvation Army is built on, “When we see a problem, we have to find a way to address it.”
Brown Bag Lunch launched in 1993 and distributed 2600 free cold lunches that first year. Then as now, each lunch contains a peanut butter or meat sandwich, fruit, chips/snack and a beverage.
Each subsequent summer, the program increased. When Claudette moved onto different employment in 1997, the Brown Bag Lunch program was firmly rooted within The Salvation Army and the community.
In 2007, Barb Thill brought 33 years of work experience at Sentry Foods and her boundless energy with her when she first volunteered as the Brown Bag Lunch coordinator. In 2017 a staggering 17, 519 lunches were packed and distributed. This annual mammoth undertaking succeeds because of community volunteers and donations. In 2021 Holy Family Catholic began working with the Brown Bag Lunch Program.
