Pastor praises summer lunch partnership that served hundreds of children

Justin McCall, pastor at Christ United Methodist Church, told City Council that the church hosted a summer lunch program in June and July in partnership with NOCAC and local agencies and that volunteers served “a few hundred meals” to neighborhood children. McCall said the program was a community effort: Henry County Hospital became the city’s service provider for meal preparation this year after making facility changes, and Henry County Transportation provided transportation to pick up children at various locations. “I want to celebrate how much of a community project it ended up being,” McCall said. Why it matters: summer meal programs provide nutrition to children when school is out; McCall said that because the state reduced weekend meal provision last year the church prepared and distributed lunch bags for the July 4 and Juneteenth weekends so children would not go without meals. Council response: council members thanked McCall for the update; no formal council action was requested. The remarks occurred during the citizen communication portion of the meeting. Details: McCall gave his name and address on the record (1325 Glenwood Avenue) and identified himself as pastor. He described the program as state-funded through NOCAC and noted hopes that county transportation support will continue next summer.