Holy Family Summer Bites to offer free meals at 11 locations this summer – Warming Shelter to open Tuesdays

Summer is a time of fun. But for many in the area, it can be a time of worry, as families wonder how they will supplement school lunches, and those without shelter wonder where they can escape the heat.

This summer, Holy Family Catholic Community will seek to help ease those fears by offering free lunches through its Summer Bites meal program, and a cool place to relax and refresh on Tuesdays at the Holy Family Warming Shelter.

Operating since 2024, Summer Bites has worked to help families who rely on school lunches throughout the school year and without assistance may find themselves going without in the summer. However, anyone is welcome to utilize the program. Last year, the program distributed more than 5,500 lunches.

According to the United Ways 2025 ALICE (or Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) Report, 27% of households in the city of Fond du Lac earn more than the poverty level, but less than the standard of living. This means that they struggle to afford the essentials of daily life, from food to rent to health care to childcare.

In addition, US Census Data from 2024 shows that 12.4% of people in the city of Fond du Lac live below the poverty line, including 15% of those under the age of 18, and 12% of those age 65 and older.

“These numbers tell us that more than one in four families in our city are struggling to make ends meet. No one should have to make the choice between feeding their child, or being able to pay rent, but we know that this is a choice that many of our neighbors face. That is why programs like Summer Bites exist. A free lunch may seem like a simple thing, but that lunch allows individuals and families to put their money

towards other essentials,” Holy Family Catholic Community Director of Human Concerns Erin Cobb said.

Every Tuesday from June 9 to August 18, Summer Bites will offer free bagged lunches at 11 locations across Fond du Lac and North Fond du Lac. Each meal is made possible through the generosity of donors, who contribute the food, and volunteers, who pack and distribute lunches. The bagged lunches include a sandwich, water or juice, fruit, and a snack.

Meals will be distributed at the following times and locations:

11:00 to 11:20 am:

· Maplewood Commons (Martin Ave. & Hawthorne Dr.)

· Little Ceasars Parking Lot (Main & Scott Sts.)

· Lighthouse Pointe Mobile Home (North Fond du Lac)

· FDL Mobile Home Park (North Fond du Lac)

11:30 to 11:50 am

· Buttermilk Park (lot by Amphitheatre – S. Park Ave. & 20th)

· Church of Peace (S. Military Rd. & Western Ave.)

· Lakeside Garden Apartments (North Peters Ave.)

· Green Meadows Mobile Home Park (North Fond du Lac)

12:00 pm

· St. Katharine Drexel Shelter Parking Lot (N. Peters Ave.)

· ADVOCAP Opportunity Center (W. First St., S. Macy St.)

On Tuesdays throughout the summer, Holy Family will also open the doors of the Holy Family Warming Shelter, 73 E. First St., for anyone in need of refuge from the heat. While the shelter is open from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm, anyone in need will be able to come inside, enjoy a bagged lunch, rest, and use the shower and laundry facilities — as they would during the shelter season, running from November to April.

“When we decided we would have the Holy Family Warming Shelter as one of our meal distribution spots, we saw an opportunity to offer assistance that goes beyond a meal,” Cobb said. “So often, we tend to think of homelessness and its impact during

the winter, but if you are experiencing homelessness, the heat can have as much of an impact as the cold. We want people to know that there is a place for them to get out of elements, relax, and care for themselves.”

Of importance is also providing opportunities for community members to utilize showers and laundry facilities. Studies show that not only does access to regular showers and laundry help to reduce the spread of communicable diseases, but also promotes good mental health, a sense of dignity, and an “increased likelihood of transitioning out of homelessness through obtaining a job or a housing placement,” according to the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

“It is our goal that by offering this, we can help our community stay safer, cooler, and healthier,” Cobb said.