The Giving Tree of Hummelstown, a group of local women dedicated to helping families in need, is collecting donations for Feed the Children, a summer program that delivers healthy lunches locally to disadvantaged children.

Needs include food, paper goods, picnic tables and monetary donations, as well as volunteer drivers to deliver the food during the week. The organization also seeks volunteers with gardening expertise to teach the children how to create gardens in their communities and grow their own vegetables. Donations are being collected at Apple Tree Farm, in Hummelstown.

The recent focus on childhood obesity, changes to the school lunch programs and Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign have helped bring attention to The Giving Tree’s program. Member Beth Romanski says, “This program is directly related to the need for local volunteers to support the initiative of healthy kids, because many do not have the monetary resources or knowledge of how to be healthy.”

According to Romanski, about one in three American kids and teens is overweight or obese; nearly triple the rate in 1963. “With good reason, childhood obesity is now the number one health concern among parents in the United States, topping drug abuse and smoking,” she says. “Supporting our Feed the Children program is an easy way to make a difference in the lives of underserved children in the local community.”

For information, call 717-473-3913, email [email protected] or visit GivingTreeofHummelstown.org.