The Salvation Army will serve food to children this summer with a new summer feeding program.

This is the first time since their Kid’s Café that they will be trying out a new summer feeding program for young people. This time they will only be the site for the program, not the sponsor.

“With the Salvation Army, the summer is busy with away camp, getting Vacation Bible School ready and preparing for Christmas,” said Keana Johnson. “We want to feed the children and this is a way to make sure they get a meal.”

Salvation Army has partnered with Cover 3 Foundation to provide the meals for the children. Cover 3 is a non-profit that provides meals for kids that otherwise might go hungry.

Meals will be provided to children 18 and under from noon to 1 p.m. at the Salvation Army location, 400 Bank St., and it is considered an open site. Being an open site means that they will serve any child that comes in for a meal or snack, and the children don’t have to meet any qualifications.

“We aren’t sure how many children we will get. We will start with 40 meals, and if there are more, we can call Cover 3 to get more,” Johnson said.

Children will have plenty of choices for snack time and lunch, but the menu is always subject to change from Cover 3. Potential items are barbecue chicken, pears, yogurt, string cheese, chips, juice boxes and chocolate milk.

“For us, it is very important to have these programs. You never know how hungry someone is,” Johnson said. “A meal can do so much for a child. They might remember that meal, and it might make them want to give back one day. They might want to get involved in charity or start their own nonprofit. One meal can go a long way for a child.”

The program will be every Tuesday and Friday beginning next week, and it will run until the end of August. They don’t have a specific end date just yet.

Cover 3 also provides after-school meal programs, and Johnson hopes they can continue working with Cover 3 if the program goes smoothly this summer.