Solanco Neighborhood Ministries (SNM) is asking for the community's assistance to help the nonprofit meet a growing need for local students.

SNM, located at 14 S. Church St., Quarryville, is collecting goods and accepting donations for its Student Weekend Eating Program (SWEEP) initiative.

"We give food out to the elementary and middle schools, and (last year) we started (including) the high school," project coordinator Judy Beiler said. "Students get a bag for the weekends, and it includes two breakfasts, two lunches, and two dinners and two snacks."

Students who need weekend meals should speak with their guidance counselor. "Usually, the students that they qualify for the free breakfast or lunch program, they qualify for SWEEP, so they do sign up through school through the guidance office," said Teresa Dolan, SNM's director. "That's how we've worked the program all the way through."

High school students are able to shop in a choice pantry set up at the high school where they can pick two breakfasts, two lunches, two dinners, and snacks. Items are placed in a cinch bag or backpack.

"Because the kids pick up at the end of the day, we have a refrigerator and a freezer there so we can provide more perishable items," said Dolan. "They're able to send home yogurt and cheese and fruits and frozen pizzas because the high school kids are taking it at the end of the day and going right home, so we don't have to worry as much about food safety and temperature as we do with regular SWEEP at the elementary and middle schools."

Members of the community can pitch in by donating items such as canned chicken, canned soup like chicken noodle or tomato, pudding cups, applesauce cups, and fruit cups. A complete list of goods sought and the times when drop-offs can made is at https://solanconeighborhoodministries.org.

"I think there's a lot of need out there, and this is one way we can help them," Beiler said. "The numbers have increased every year since we've started, and our highest number this year was 320 students in middle school and elementary. It's 331 with the high school included, which is the highest we've ever (had)."

SNM last year sent home 10,757 bags to elementary and middle school students, more than 60,000 meals.

SNM is also supporting 60 families through its summer SWEEP effort. "We pack a bag for every week of the month, and they come to pick it up once a month," said Beiler. "They get four bags, and it is larger meals, family size. We tried it lots of different ways, and we found to ease a transportation barrier it was easier for people to come once a month."

Dolan added, "Judy and her team create a different menu for each week, and the folks will come once a month and pick up all the bags - once in June, once in July, once in August, so they get a total of probably 12-plus bags. Because they're picking up at the food bank, we can provide meat and dairy and produce and a lot of items that are hard for us to send home with the younger children."

SWEEP has come a long way since its origin a couple of decades ago. "It started with a conversation with a principal almost 20 years ago at Quarryville Elementary," Dolan said. "He knew 10 students off the top of his head who did not have enough food for the weekend. It started with helping those 10 children, and then it just expanded to that school and to the elementary schools. Then we decided to expand to sixth grade, then seventh, then eighth grade, and then last year we expanded (to) the high school."