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Got Lunch! Laconia Kicks Off Summer Grocery Deliveries

For children who rely on free and reduced price meals during the school year, including 50 percent of public school students in Laconia, summer vacation can mean 10 weeks of food insecurity. 

That's why 10-year-old Maia Heller is up early on her first day of summer vacation, volunteering for the Got Lunch! Laconia program. 

"It feels really good that I know they need some food and I'm helping them get it," Heller said as she packed apples, carrots, and jars of peanut butter and jelly into grocery bags. 

Paula Gile is on the program's advisory board. She says that delivering the groceries to families is vital, since many low-income parents work long hours or don't have reliable access to a car. 

"Kids can't really get to one location every single day to get their lunches. So this way we deliver enough for five lunches a week directly to their homes," Gile said. 

Got Lunch is a public-private partnership that functions on grants, donations, and support from local businesses and volunteers. It will run its program in Laconia through the end of August. 

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