The Breakfast Bunch at St. John's Lutheran Church in Slatington has started up again for the eighth summer in a row.

The Breakfast Bunch provides a free breakfast for children and adults, children are served first. The childrenmay then take home a free bagged lunch.The program runs from Monday through Friday from 8-10:30 a.m., and usually begins on the first Monday after school ends and finishes on the second or third week in August, depending on when school starts.Some of the breakfast food includes fruit, yogurt, granola bars, waffles, bagels, English muffins, toast and drinks. In the lunch the kids can make a sandwich, for which they can choose peanut butter, jelly, fluff and cheese. They also get a juice box or water.Jenna Koch, helping for her second year in a row says she loves doing this simply because she "likes to help people out."Lynn Haab has coordinated the program every year and says she loves the "contact with the kids."Haab said, "I love watching the families and kids over the years who've attended interact with each other."Kryslyn Fehr, who used to eat at the Breakfast Bunch but now has been helping for about five years, attributes a lot to Haab."My mom forced me to go at first. But then, Mrs. Haab brought us out of our shell."Fehr's brother and sister, who also used to eat at the Breakfast Bunch, now volunteer."I love having fun with the kids, moving around, talking to them. Most of the time they laugh," said Fehr.Her 8-year-old brother, C.J., agrees and said, "It's fun."The program is funded by local donations including the Lions, Slatington Rotary, Northern Lehigh Pastoral Association, St. Peter's Church, the Emerald Food Ministry and individual donations.This summer, Haab said that they're expecting 35 to 40 dedicated volunteers, about 1,000 breakfasts to be served, and to send out about 1,000 lunches as well.