D & R Village manufactured home community (MHC) in Halfmoon, New York has partnered with CAPTAIN Youth and Family Services to provide a free, nutritious lunch to children of the community ages one to 18 every weekday at noon. Consisting of a sandwich, a vegetable, a piece of fresh fruit and juice, the lunch meets all the food requirements of the New York State Education Department, according to saratogian.com. Currently, about 15 to 20 kids partake of the program, but that number is expected to grow as the town’s recreation program comes to an end. Karen Bristol, D&R Village’s Community Manager, says, “The kids are having a blast with this,” she said. “They are meeting new friends and then they see them again the next day. Plus, some of the families have told me it’s very helpful. The parents work and with this they don’t have to think about lunch for their kids. They know they can get a nutritious lunch here each day.”

D & R is owned by UMH Properties, Inc., which reports they have five other communities where similar programs are taking place. UMH’s Vice President of Sales, Christine Lindsey, says, “One of the things UMH prides itself on is that these are real communities, they are neighborhoods. We sponsor a lot of initiatives like the meal program. We sponsor back to school backpack programs, community days, computers in our clubhouses, the Boy Scouts in one community, and pot luck suppers. We’re on the board of the Better Business Bureau in most communities and we work closely with schools for things like safe drop off and pickup points for the kids.” MHProNews understands all indications are that the program will return next summer. ##

(Photo credit: UMH Properties, Inc.–a UMH community)