It’s a little like throwing raw meat to a pack of hungry wolves.

Only the wolves wash up in sinks and rub germ killer on their hands before they dig in.

Still, it’s debatable whether you could call the mob forming at the lunchroom door at 11:25 on a recent morning an organized queue.

As about 50 kids with growling stomachs line up for free lunch at the Belmont Recreation Center, Terry Holthus tries to stop them from storming the lunch table.

“Back up,” says Holthus, assistant recreation director at Belmont. “Back, back, back.”

The pack complies — for now.

On a table in the lunchroom, brown paper bags filled with bologna and cheese sandwiches, raisins and milk await the children inside three red and blue coolers kept at a cool 40 degrees.

After a small group who brought their own lunches grab their lunch boxes, they all sit down with napkins, straws and brown paper bags.

As he attacks nachos, Pepsi and sliced peaches, the growling in Aden Cooley’s stomach subsides. The 9-year-old usually brings his own lunch.

“I don’t like to eat it every day, but sometimes,” he says of the free lunch.

This year, the Belmont Recreation Center at 1234 Judson St. is one of 25 Lincoln sites for the Summer Food Service Program.

The program is offered through the U.S. Department of Agriculture and administered locally by the Lincoln-Lancaster Health Department.

It began June 11 and will continue offering free food to youth up to age 18 through Aug. 10, although some sites offer different schedules.

Most sites are in schools where at least half the children come from low-income families and summer youth programs are offered. Only a few are considered “open” sites, where most of the recipients are not participating in a summer youth program.

Program Director Mike Heyl of the Health Department said the program served 42,000 meals last summer and likely will serve about 45,000 this summer — despite a summer schedule one week shorter than last year’s.

The program bolsters summer youth programs, providing in-kind support in the way of food for young participants, Heyl said.

“We’re able to help them out by coming in and feeding the kids,” he said.

If the program didn’t exist, many kids might not get fed at all, he said.

“We don’t know that these kids would have nutritious meals in the summer,” he said.

The program gets plenty of help from local businesses and agencies, including United Way, Russwood Chrysler, which provides two vans to transport meals during summer months, and the Roughriders Motorcycle Club.

Bikers? Serving meals to kids?

That’s right.

This summer, the Roughriders — who aren’t as rough as they sound — offered to provide meals at Brownell Elementary School, 6000 Aylesworth Ave.

It’s the first summer the school has served as a program site, Heyl said.

As the lunch hour wound down recently, six bikers wearing blue jeans and black T-shirts waited for stragglers.

Randy “Rad” Neeman said they wanted to help the children of Lincoln and saw a need to continue in the summer the nutritious meals kids get at school during the school year.

“It doesn’t make sense to stop it in the summer,” he said. “These kids still are in need.”

The Roughriders provide breakfasts and lunches at the school. And once a month, members of the club arrive on Harleys to feed the children themselves.

On this day, they brought brownies and ice cream.

And Deb Kendle’s two daughters were there to enjoy it.

“It’s kind of nice to know they’re getting a nutritious meal, and they get to see friends from school,” she said.

Reach Kevin Abourezk at 473-7225 or kabourezk@journalstar.com.

Program sites

The Summer Food Service Program offers free breakfasts and lunches to youth up to 18 Monday-Friday, unless otherwise noted, at the following sites:

Airpark Recreational Center, 3720 N.W. 46th St., through Aug. 10. Breakfast, 8-8:30 a.m.; lunch, 11:30 a.m.-noon.

Belmont Recreational Center, 1234 Judson St., through Aug. 17. Lunch, 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m.

Brownell Elementary School, 6000 Aylesworth Ave., through Aug. 10. Breakfast, 8:30-9:30 a.m.; lunch, noon-2 p.m.

Bryan Community School, 1801 S. 40th St., through July 25. Breakfast, 7:30-8:30 a.m.; lunch, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Carol Yoakum Family Resource Center, 4621 N.W. 48th St., through Aug. 10. Lunch, noon-12:45 p.m.

City Impact, 2820 O St., Monday-Thursday, through Aug. 10. Breakfast, 9-9:30 a.m.;. lunch 12:30-1 p.m.

Dawes Middle School, 5130 Colfax Ave., through Aug. 3. Breakfast, 8:30-9:30 a.m.; lunch, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

El Centro de las Americas, 2615 O St., Suite D, Wednesdays, through Aug. 8. Breakfast, 9-10 a.m.; lunch, noon-1 p.m.

Elliott Elementary School, 225 S. 25th St., through Aug. 3. Breakfast,  9-9:30 a.m.; lunch noon-12:45 p.m.

F Street Recreation Center, 1225 F St., through Aug. 17. Breakfast, 9-9:30 a.m.; lunch, noon-12:30 p.m.

Faith United Methodist Church, 1333 N. 33rd St., through Aug. 10. Breakfast, 8:45-9:45 a.m.; lunch, 11:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m.

Huntington Elementary School, 2900 N. 46th St., through Aug. 3. Breakfast, 8-9 a.m.; lunch, 11:15 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Indian Center, 1100 Military Road, through Aug. 10. Breakfast, 8:30-9:15 a.m.; lunch, noon-12:45 p.m.

Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department, 3140 N St., through Aug. 10. Breakfast, 8-9 a.m.; lunch, noon-1 p.m.

Malone Center, 2032 U St., through Aug. 17. Breakfast, 8:30-9:30 a.m.; lunch, 11:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m.

McPhee Elementary School, 820 S. 15th St., through July 27. Breakfast, 8:30-9:30 a.m.; lunch, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

Mercy Services Corp., 2200 W. Q St., through Aug. 8. Lunch, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

North Star High School, 5801 N. 33rd St., through July 25. Breakfast, 7:30-8:30 a.m.; lunch, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Norwood Park Elementary, 4710 N. 72nd St., Monday-Thursday through Aug. 2. Lunch, noon-12:30 p.m.

Park Middle School, 855 S. Eighth St., through Aug. 17. Breakfast, 8:30-9 a.m.; lunch, noon-12:30 p.m.

Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, 1201 Benton St., through Aug. 10. Breakfast, 8-9 a.m.; lunch, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

Salvation Army, 1645 N. 27th St., through Aug. 10. Breakfast, 9-10 a.m.; lunch, noon-1 p.m.

Saratoga Elementary School, 2215 S. 13th St., through Aug. 15. Breakfast, 8:30-9:30 a.m.; lunch, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

Selleck Hall, 600 N. 15th St., through July 26. Breakfast, 6:15-7:15 a.m.; lunch, 11:15 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

West Lincoln Elementary School, 630 W. Dawes Ave., through Aug. 10. Breakfast, 8:30-9 a.m.; lunch, noon- 12:30 p.m.

Source: Nebraska Department of Education