MARIETTA, Ga. — Summer meals can be a lifeline for many families in metro Atlanta while school is out on break.
Yet one metro Atlanta group that routinely offers such help to thousands of children every summer say they, in turn, need help meeting the need.
"We've seen our numbers triple in the early weeks, which is staggering for us," Ike Reichard, CEO and President of MUST Ministries, told 11Alive.
The organization, now in its 29th year of providing summer meals, offers to-go options consisting of breakfast and lunch for local kids across north Atlanta. With schools out on summer break, hunger often spikes -- with families unable to use free or reduced lunch, for which nearly 64% of Georgia public school students qualify.
The need is anticipated as families turn to outside organizations for support. Yet, Reichard said MUST Ministries did not expect current numbers.
"Of course, inflation is a huge reason why we're seeing our numbers go up," Reichard shared. "But we never anticipated our numbers would triple."
In addition to high prices on everything from food to rent, Reichard attributes the increase in need to the challenge some families face juggling multiple jobs while also trying to take advantage of summer meals provided by school districts. Multiple districts in the metro have set breakfast and lunch times and require kids to eat on-site.
As for MUST Ministries, the organization is running 29 physical locations this summer for its to-go meals, in addition to its regular food programming. Such outreach means serving more than 7,000 kids every week, Reichard said, with expectations of serving more than half a million meals this summer.
Yet resources are running low, prompting the group to put out a call for support on social media.
"Over these next five weeks, number one, we need prayer," he said. "Because the need is so great."
Reichard and the group hope more donations will come forward or groups will rally to help prepare more "kid kits" for families.
"No one wants to turn to an organization like MUST," he shared. "I mean, it's very difficult to say, 'we can't make ends meet,' but that's what a lot of, a lot of families are facing today."
Learn more about supporting MUST Ministries' efforts here.