Volunteers work to meet growing demand for Got Lunch! Laconia meal delivery

LACONIA — On the morning of July 6, volunteers met at 8 a.m., to pack lunch and fresh vegetables for city students and their families, in the basement of the Congregational Church of Laconia.

Last week, volunteers packed 342 bags, serving 540 kids and 265 families. It's the 16th year of Got Lunch! Laconia, providing healthy ingredients weekly, and enrollment numbers are on the rise. Every Monday for 10 weeks, starting June 22, the volunteers meet to prepare and distribute food, ensuring local students continue to get the proper nutrients they need throughout the summer, delivered to their doorstep.

On Sunday nights, behind-the-scenes volunteers set up for the week's deliveries, preparing tables and production lines. The next morning, volunteers pack groceries, organize them into routes, and load them into cars, to all be delivered by noon.

Betsy Damon, chair and database manager at Got Lunch! Laconia, coordinates routes for delivery drivers to make grocery drop-offs across the city. Families fill out a form online a week prior to when they wish to have deliveries made, so Damon has time to balance and coordinate routes. Damon said the first week of their 2026 season, there were 258 stops.

Board member and food procurer Shawn Intorcio started volunteering with her husband four years ago, initially as a delivery driver. Now, Intoricio works to obtain all the food needed over the 10-week summer break.

A large portion of food comes from the New Hampshire Food Bank, although Trish Poliquin, vice chair and volunteer coordinator, said “it’s just not what it used to be.” Other necessities not obtained from the food bank come from local grocery stores such as Hannaford, which often donates supplies, as well. Got Lunch! Laconia volunteers also work closely with Vista Foods, whose staff assist with bread supply and vouchers for items such as dairy and fresh produce, included in home deliveries.

Menus are planned ahead of time, one for “one-child bags” and one for “two-child bags.” Numbers are confirmed, and on Monday mornings, between 30 and 40 volunteers work to pack and bag lunches for the dozen volunteers who bring them upstairs for delivery. Intorcio said there are over 100 people total that make the food distribution effort possible.

Volunteers range from teenagers to seniors. “It’s super supportive. It really is a village type of arrangement, which is awesome,” Intorcio said.

Angel McCarty, secretary for Got Lunch! Laconia, has been volunteering for the past 10 years. When she first began, her 4-year-old son would accompany her, and they would joke he was “the youngest volunteer they had.” A decade later, McCarty’s son, now a teenager, continues to devote his Monday mornings in the summer to feeding students and families.

Alexis Dionne, 15, is a student at Laconia High School. She began volunteering with Got Lunch! Laconia this season, to collect volunteer hours for school, and help other kids in her community.

Intorcio noted the volunteer community of diverse ages make it that much supportive and positive.

Jill Suarez just started her second year with Got Lunch! Laconia, bagging and sending food off for delivery. Suarez has volunteered with other organizations which were not as well-managed and efficient. She said Got Lunch! Laconia has an incredibly well-run program, and unlike her previous opportunities, she is “very invested” in this one.

“We are very, very fortunate and blessed to have the volunteers that we have, because we couldn’t do it without them,” Poliquin said. “The energy is really positive. People are very willing to take charge, if they need to take charge in an area.”

“It’s a well-greased machine on most weeks. It feels like the last few weeks, we’ve had more bumps and bibbles. But overall, we know that food is getting out to the kids, and that’s really what matters.”

“You don’t often see the families, but when you do, the feedback that we get from them — they’re just so appreciative of the food and it really is a nice, warm thing,” Intorcio said.

Got Lunch! Laconia volunteers will continue to make weekly deliveries throughout the summer. The last delivery day this year is Monday, Aug. 24.

To register to receive weekly deliveries this season, call 603-524-0668, or complete the form at sites.google.com/view/got-lunch-laconia. Complete the form before noon on Monday, to ensure a delivery the following Monday.

For volunteering inquiries, contact gotlnch@gmail.com.