Pictured are people participating and helping with Conduit Ministries’ food truck. P-J file photo

As Conduit Ministries kicks off its summer program for kids who may need meals now that school is out, the church has also seen an increase in the amount of regular meals it serves.

Conduit Ministries typically operates a food truck in Brooklyn Square on Sunday afternoons for those in need of meals, and saw a large amount of people come to them for the last few weekends, seeing 640 meals served on June 29 and 370 meals on July 6.

Pastor Cameron Lienhart said this is something the food truck typically sees toward the end of each month.

“The end of the month can be difficult for families,” Lienhart said. “We understand this and prepare for this. Often SNAP, EBT, and WIC has run out towards the end of the month and people can struggle to provide for their families or themselves. This is not just an issue for the unhoused or those out of work. Working class families also struggle. We are blessed to be able to serve all people.”

Conduit is about two weeks into its Summer Youth Program, serving about 150 meals to local kids so far. Lienhart noted that the serving location for the program did have to change, now serving at Joy Fellowship Free Methodist church, 515 E. Seventh St. He added that while the program has the goal of seeing and feeding a lot of youth this summer, anyone can come and have a meal.

Overall, Lienhart said he wanted people to know that both the summer program and the food truck serving meals is to be generous to the community in any way that they can.

“The reason we do this is because we want to be generous to our community as God has been generous to us,” Lienhart said. “Feeding the hungry does not represent the totality of the mission of Jesus, but it was a part of it. We are living in the grace necessary to become more and more like Jesus every day. That’s our goal–that’s our mission.”

For more information on Conduit Ministries visit conduitministries.com.