BELCHERTOWN, Mass.- The Belchertown Summer Eats program welcomed people back on Monday with hot meals and no restrictions for the first time since the pandemic started.

The Belchertown Chestnut Hill Community school hosted the event serving food to local families and children at summer camps.

The federally funded nutrition program provides free meals for children ages 18 and younger and there’s no registration required.

Katie Ruell brought her two kids in for the first time on Monday and said the community support is very much needed.

“It’s nice that there is this option,” said Ruell. “Not everybody in town has the food security, so that’s great that the town is putting on this event for the children that may not have hot food at their house and/or the nutritious meals that they need.”

Janet Borkowski is babysitting her grand daughter from out of town this week. She, too, could use the program.

“My granddaughter is from Warren,” Borkowski said. “So it was nice to be invited to come here to Belchertown.”

Outreach coordinator Kari Bachand said food insecurity is a major issue affecting all cities and towns, and the goal of the program is to make sure no children go a day hungry.

“We don’t want any kid feeling the crunch of not being able to have a nutritious meal and that is the main part of this,” Bachand said. “We want kids in our community not to be hungry. We know it happens everywhere, so we want to make sure kids are getting a nutritious meal.”

The Summer Eats Program will run until August 12th, Monday through Friday, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The program also plans to welcome special guests each week from 4-H organizations to state and school representatives.