Vehicles lined both sides of Bayard’s Main Street last year for the Wheels for Meals event, a fundraiser for the Bayard Church of Christ Summer Meal Program. This year’s event is scheduled for Saturday, June 15 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Special to the Times Vedette
Head to Bayard’s Main Street on Saturday for the Wheels for Meals Show. Money raised will be used to provide healthy summer lunches for youngsters in several communities.
Pastor Bob Rogers had a vision in the spring of 2023 to make and deliver summer meals to youngsters in Bayard, Bagley, Jamaica, Yale and Linden. With the help of volunteers and generous donors, approximately 9,000 meals were provided to youngsters over a nine-week period in the summer.
The big fundraiser is a car, truck, tractor and motorcycle show. Held on June 15 on the Main Street of Bayard, classic vehicles, or those that are a work in progress, will be parked so enthusiasts can enjoy viewing them. Hours are 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
There will be separate vehicle classes with cash prizes. There is no cost for vehicles to participate. Youngsters will vote to determine the winners. Brandon Patrick is in charge of registration. Call 712-210-1942 to pre-register.
In the Bayard Community Center, a vendor show is planned with no fees to participate. To register as a vendor, contact Rogers at 641-757-1175.
A barbecue meal will be served for a free will donation. Hot dogs and hamburgers are on the menu.
The youngsters will enjoy a variety of games, face painting and much more. A foam pit will provide lots of “wet” fun, so bring your swim suits and towels.
Working through the Bayard Church of Christ, about $20,000 was spent on the meals in 2023. Large donations have been provided by the Ten Squared Men and Women to the Summer Lunch Program so the funding for this year’s work is secured, but Rogers is already looking ahead to 2025.
The meals were delivered to the five communities starting on June 3 and will continue for nine weeks through Aug/ 5. Each sack contains five meals, enough for one week. About 200 children were served each week in 2023, but Rogers expects the program to be larger this summer. Linden topped last year’s figures with 60 meals each week followed by Bayard with 48; Yale, 30; Bagley, 28; and Jamaica, 12.
Pick up is once a week on Mondays from 11 a.m. – noon. Meals are provided for no cost to any students younger than age 18. Pick up locations are: Bayard – Church of Christ; Bagley – Community Building; Jamaica – Shelter next to Tojo’s; Yale – Community Building; Linden – Town Park; and Panora – South Side of the MS/HS Building by the Greenhouse.
Hope Lutheran Church has initiated a similar program in Panora and is handling the arrangements there.
Volunteers Jill Albright, left, and Twyla Brede work together in the basement of the Bayard Church of Christ to fill the 200-plus sacks with healthy food. The sacks are delivered to Bagley, Jamaica, Yale and Linden plus picked up in Bayard each Monday between 11 a.m. and noon. Hope Lutheran Church in Panora is operating a similar program. This display shows the food that was contained in the first week of meal delivery on June 3.
