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By Allison Scarbrough, News Editor
Wildcat News is a presentation of Walkerville Public Schools in partnership with Oceana County Press.
WALKERVILLE — Every Wednesday morning during the summer in Walkerville, thousands of free meals are distributed by a dedicated team of school food service workers and volunteers.
Cars line up down the main street in town, extending around the corner, waiting to have the friendly team load up their vehicle with food for the week.
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The federally-funded summer food distribution program, which began during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, provides each child with seven breakfasts and seven lunches, a gallon of milk, juice, and locally-grown fruits and vegetables. Approximately $22,000 worth of food is distributed weekly.
“When we went into the COVID shut down, I had to feed our students out here on the curbside, and their parents all had to pull in and pick up meals for five days — breakfast and lunch,” said Walkerville Public Schools Food Service Director Sheri Boes. “By summer, they had a program set up — because they didn’t want people out and about — that we could feed everyone from anywhere as long as they are 18 and under or have children in their home.”
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The program is vital for the small rural community. “Our school system has about 17 homeless families,” said Boes.
The program is open to people in other communities, too. “As long as you have children 18 and under, we do not care where you’re from,” she said. “You don’t have to sign up to get this food. You don’t have to be pre-registered. You just show up.”
The team of workers and volunteers dish out meals for about 900 or more kids each week. “We ended up serving 1,019 children meals today,” said Boes after the July 2 distribution. “That’s 7,133 breakfasts and 7,133 lunches for the week. Technically, we served 14,266 meals today to be eaten over the next seven days.
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“My staff and volunteers have been helping me with this for five years,” said Boes. Food service assistants include Carly Aiken, Vicki Branch and Sarah Evans. Five-year volunteers include: Zack Woodworth of HandyTech Solutions in Bitely; Bob Brown of Bitely; Richard Brimmer of Hesperia; Marshall Monroe of Hesperia; Bob Hopstaken of Hesperia; Mindy Branch of Bitely; Roger Hovey of Walkerville; Walkerville teacher Sara White; and Isabella Storms of Walkerville. Two-year volunteers include: Albert Schreck of Hesperia; Graham Conkle of Hesperia; Walkerville teacher David VanHorn of Bitely; and Kelsey Garrett of Walkerville. New volunteers who stepped in this summer include: Addison Houston of Walkerville; Ayla White of Walkerville; Gage Mannor of Walkerville; and Emma Evans of Walkerville.
“I truly enjoy my staff and crew — we are a family,” said Boes. “We work hard, smile, laugh, and even tease each other. They show up rain or shine. I’m very blessed to have my crew.”
OCP photo/Volunteer Sara White, who is a teacher at Walkerville, at right, and Walkerville Food Service Director Sheri Boes.
While handling the summer food distribution program, Boes and her team also feed the students enrolled in summer school at the same time. “We always educate in the summer for eight weeks.”
In the fall during the school year, Boes and her volunteers grill burgers, hotdogs and brats for the schoolchildren in an outside area by the recently-renovated Wildcat Cafe cafeteria. She plans to develop the outside area into a courtyard with picnic tables, so the kids can eat outside. She also plans to create a small herb garden and call it the “Kindergarten Garden.”
Boes has worked in Walkerville Public Schools food service department for 32 years and has been the director for approximately 24 years. She also owned and operated an asparagus and alfalfa farm for 16 years while working simultaneously. Feeding children is her passion. “I love canning — I canned everything under the sun when I first started having my own children.”
“We live in a rural district where there are not a lot of businesses in this area. So, you have to drive 40 miles to get a job like in Ludington or Fremont or 50 miles to get to Muskegon. That right there is going to eat a whole lot of your paycheck five days a week. I think this helps sustain them to stay on track so more people are not losing their homes.”
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It is unknown if government funding for the summer distribution program will be approved for next year, she said. “We don’t know if we are going to do this next year or not. It’s federally-funded.”
“It’s a small community, and you know everybody. So when you’re doing this, you know you’re helping your community. They’re just kind of like family,” said volunteer Mindy Branch.
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