Breakfast cereal, fruit and single-serving canned goods make up the contents of the weekend food bags handed out Friday by East Texas Food Bank and Junior League of Tyler at City Park in Tyler. Andrew D. Brosig/Tyler Morning Telegraph

Dozens of kids who gathered at City Park on Friday briefly interrupted their time splashing and playing on a water slide to lineup for lunch.

Workers handed the kids lunches and bags filled with nutrioutious foods to take home with them for the weekend. The meals are provided through the East Texas Food Bank and the Junior League of Tyler’s summer backpack program, which provides food for children to eat on the weekends during the summer.

The program makes food available at 13 sites.

The backpacks the kids take home are filled with kid-friendly items such as soup, peanut butter, granola bars, fruit, juice and shelf-stable milk.

Junior League of Tyler provided $25,000 for the weekend program, enough for more than 500 children to participate each weekend this summer. 

“I think it’s a great thing they are doing for the community, especially this side of town,” Jay Valentin, 14, said. “It’s helping out a lot. It’s a way to get everybody together and have a good time.”

Just before weekend bags were distributed, Dennis Cullinane, CEO of East Texas Food Bank, said, “It’s a wonderful program in addition to our summer food service program. It’s meant to feed the kids over the weekend.”

The food bank serves meals Monday through Friday.

Junior League President Jennifer Walsh said providing meals a way to influence children’s development and impact the community as a whole.

 “There’s a hunger gap and this is a great way to fill that and help each child develop much better and it’s good for our community,” Ms. Walsh said.

The Junior League conducts several fundraising events throughout the year to fund the summer backpack program, she said. The main fundraiser is Mistletoe and Magic, sale of cookbooks and a children’s book and other events.

Twitter:  @Betty_TMT

Andrews Park, 1358 E. Richards St.

City Park, 200 W. Queen St.

College Hill Missionary Baptist Church, 1314 W. Houston St.

Kids with Voices, 3200 Garden Valley Road

Liberty Arms Apartments, 2601 N. Broadway Ave.

Lincoln Park (Emmett Scott Park) 1710 N. Confederate Ave.

P.T. Cole Park, 1001 S. Vine

Rose Valley Apartments, 1007 North Northwest Loop 323

Southwest Pines Apalrtments, 3220 Walton Road

The Park at Shiloh, 2911 Shiloh Road

Tyler YMCA, 225 S Vine

Tyler YMCA-Birdwell 2010 Talley St.

Woldert Park, 501 W. 32nd St.