Match Day dollars will be used to purchase food for our Munch Bunch program. Our original Munch Bunch mission, started in 2009, was to provide supplemental weekend food to those qualified for free or reduced lunches at Central Elementary. Since then, the program has grown to support all Sidney City Primary schools, Sidney Intermediate School and Sidney Middle School, Grades K-5. Our hope is to improve these children’s lives with weekend nutrition, so they may be better equipped to learn. Each school’s teachers and administration identify children in need. Parents are notified with an application form. Once enrolled, the children are discreetly supplied with a food bag each week. They continue to receive the bags throughout the school year. We utilize commercial food outlets in the Dayton and Lima areas for our food supplies. Church members, local organizations and charitable foundations are solicited for funding. All grant monies go directly toward the purchase of food. Our Munch Bunch project aligns with the school year, start date for Sidney City Schools thru the end date for Sidney City Schools. It requires about one month (September) for the schools to identify the students, distribute the forms, and get the approved forms back from the parents. Evidence that offering free or reduced cost meals results in a positive impact on education is well documented. Food insecurity, reduced quality or quantity, can affect a student’s ability to focus and learn, while attending school. Our program attempts to address this issue with the youngest and most vulnerable in our community. We continually review the program with school administration to ensure participation is monitored and to verify the positive effects on students and on their ability to learn. Our group of volunteers works to stretch the food dollars as far as possible by comparing vendors. We monitor school needs and try to accommodate them, including altering the menu as needed for students with special dietary needs and/or allergies. At the end of December 2025, we were delivering 338 meals per week, at a cost of just under $800. We anticipate that in school population will rise about 10% for the year starting in Fall 2026.