The Town of Carlisle’s free summer lunch and activities program is public service and public-spirited private generosity at its best.

Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. from now until the end of July, nutritious meals and a wide range of activities will be provided at Carlisle Town Hall for children 18 years old and younger. The activities will include cooking, art, painting and other crafts as well as swimming at the YMCA, going to the movies and playing on a waterslide. Sounds like a great summer of fun and Carlisle is to be congratulated for offering this program to children from throughout Union County.

The summer lunch and activities program is a reminder of what can be accomplished when government and private citizens come together to serve the community. Unlike most public programs, it is not funded by the taxpayer but by donations given by benefactors who seem to understand just what such a program can mean to the children of this county.

As Mayor Mary Ferguson-Glenn pointed out, the program may be the only lunchtime meal some of these children get now that school is out. That alone makes the program not only worthwhile but worth every penny it receives from its benefactors, all of whom deserve our praise.

In addition to helping feed them, the program provides children of this county the opportunity to participate in wholesome, positive, fun, healthy and educational activities. Given the potential pitfalls that can lie in a child’s path during the summer when they are without the structured environment of school, the Carlisle program is more than just a summertime activity, it is an investment in a better future for both the children and this county.

Summer should be a happy time, especially for children, and because of Carlisle’s free lunch and activities program and the generosity its supporters and volunteers, this summer will be a happier one for the children fortunate enough to participate in it.

It is our hope that circumstances will not only permit the town to continue offering the program but that it will grow and spread to other communities so that, one day, every child in this community will have a happy summer every summer.