More than 50 Cobb EMC employees and board members packed 1,000 meal kits on Friday, July 24, for children who lose access to school cafeteria meals each summer. The kits will go to MUST Ministries' Summer Lunch Program, which feeds nearly 7,000 children a week across eight metro Atlanta counties, including Cobb.

Employee interest was so high that Cobb EMC split the effort into two separate packing sessions, according to the cooperative's announcement. Each kit contains five breakfasts, five lunches, five snacks, and 10 drink mixes.

"Our employees are passionate about giving back, and this was a meaningful opportunity to help ensure local children have access to nutritious meals when school is out," said Ross Dicken, vice president of member relations at Cobb EMC.

One volunteer went further than the packing line. Tiko Jones, a Cobb EMC employee, joined MUST Ministries on a ride-along to watch how the kits actually reach families. Jones said seeing the distribution process firsthand gave her "an even deeper appreciation for the impact of this program."

Rising costs this summer

The program is in its 31st year, but 2026 has brought new pressure. Food costs jumped 50 percent from last summer, pushing the price of feeding one child for the full nine-week season from $100 to $150, MUST Ministries President and CEO Dr. Ike Reighard said in a June 2 statement announcing the program's launch.

"Feeding nearly 7,000 children each week for nine weeks" is "an enormous challenge," Reighard said at the time.

Last summer the program served more than 538,000 meals. It operates in Bartow, Cobb, Cherokee, Douglas, Fulton, Paulding, Pickens, and Gwinnett counties.

How East Cobb residents can help

The Summer Lunch Program runs through Friday, July 31. Residents can still get involved before it wraps:

  • Volunteer to pack or deliver meals: sign up at vhub.at/MUSTsummer.
  • Donate food items labeled "MUST Summer Lunch" to the Donation Center at 1280 Field Parkway, Marietta, open Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Give financially at mustministries.org.

MUST Ministries is headquartered at 1297 Bells Ferry Road in Marietta. Friday, July 31, is the final day of the 2026 Summer Lunch season.