Aurora Methodists continue outdoor food, crafts program at Aurora park July 26

The third of four outdoor lunch and craft programs for children at an Aurora park will be held Monday, July 26.

The park series features take-home kits that focus on nutrition and community development.

On July 26, a "Grow Your Own!" kit schools kids in at-home gardening and starting a tomato plant. Seeds and grow kits are provided.

The Aug. 2 kit, "Design your own Bag!" teaches children to decorate their personal backpacks. The July 19 kit was "Waste Not!" giving tips on reducing kitchen waste and conserving household food.

Wesley United Methodist Church in Aurora is the sponsor.

Volunteers lead the weekly series to Aug. 2 from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. outdoors at the Fox Valley Park District's Blackhawk Park, Galena Boulevard and Blackhawk Street.

The public is invited. Admission is free. No registration or identification is required.

Program coordinator Michelle Curiel, Wesley director of praise and worship and children and family, invites neighborhood kids to "...come out and take advantage of free food and fun activities."

Children in first through sixth grades are invited. Volunteers host crafts, drawing, creative writing projects and an in-person reading corner. Guests are invited to borrow books and donate books to Wesley's Little Library, a free-standing outdoor library on the church's east lawn.

Geneva-based Northern Illinois Food Bank's Meals on the Move, a mobile route, provides box lunches containing pita, vegetables, hummus, sunflower seeds, and milk. Meals on the Move distributes summer meals to Aurora children to age 18 at six Aurora parks Monday through Friday. The outreach is part of the USDA's Summer Food Service Program.

Curiel said, "We're excited to be working in our community to provide a fun and safe outlet for the children in our neighborhood."

Call (630) 896-1033 or e-mail michellecuriel.wumc@gmail.com.