By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

Throughout the academic year, local schools offer free and reduced-price lunches to students who otherwise would not be able to afford to eat a mid-day meal. But what about during the summer?

For the past few years, the Alabaster-based Sowers of Seed charity has been working to make sure those children do not go hungry while they are out for summer break.

“Last year, we had about 15-20 kids on site each day five days a week,” said Sowers of Seed organizer Lynn Coleman.

Through the program, Sowers of Seed volunteers use the concession stand at Alabaster’s Buck Creek Park to prepare meals before delivering them to multiple serving sites in the city.

Coleman said the charity works with counselors at local schools to identify children who can benefit from the Sowers of Seed program, which is offered each weekday from May 27 through Aug. 1.

Sowers of Seed volunteers coordinate their serving locations based on the locations of the kids they will serve, Coleman said.

“We try to make our potential host sites within safe walking distance of areas of need,” Coleman said. “We try to identify areas of greater need, and then plan our serving sites around that.”

After enjoying a mid-day meal, the kids can then participate in optional Bible study sessions. Sowers of Seed also holds regular craft sessions, story times and even hands-on food prep sessions for the kids, Coleman said.

To learn more about the Sowers of Seed company, visit Facebook.com and search for “Sowers of Seed.”