FERRIDAY — Brady Fields does not shy away from the needs of his community, and he saw that the children in his community needed lunch.

Fields is the administrator at United Hands Youth Center on Doty Road, and his organization is serving free meals to area children during the summer.

The organization started the program on June 6, serving two meals a day to children under 18.

“We serve home-cooked meals, not packaged stuff,” Fields said.

United Hands moved to 109 Doty Road in Ferriday last year and started the summer feeding program this year as an alternative to the one hosted by the public schools. Children living near Doty Road must cross busy U.S. 84 to get to the school programs, something Fields wanted to prevent.

“Our primary focus is to not have our kids crossing the dangerous highway,” Fields said.

Fields said he also is worried the other summer feeding programs are too far away.

“Without us, we know some kids won’t be eating,” Fields said.

Breakfast is served from 8 to 9 a.m. and lunch is served from noon to 1:30 p.m. from Monday to Friday.

Rose Tyler, director of the summer feeding program, Angela Wilson and Lora Foster, prepare the meals.

Fields approached Tyler to run the program, and she said she took the job without hesitation.

“I decided I’d do it to help the kids,” Tyler said.

Tyler said she is also concerned children will not get the nutrients they need during the summer.

“We love helping,” Tyler said.

United Hands also runs several other programs for the children who come during the summer, Fields said.

Before and after lunch, United Hands tutors children by reviewing subjects for state testing, computer skills with Microsoft Word and Word Perfect and also how to react to peer pressure.

“When you go back to school in August, you have an easier way to transition back,” said Arther Robinson, who is the computer lab technician and academic instructor.

Robinson said he tutors nearly 50 kids a day by rotating children from working inside and playing outside.

Robinson also teaches an adult computer literacy class, and helps with the after school programs.

United Hands also offers exercise courses, such as aerobics, with the computer class for free.

Fields said United Hands is a non-profit organization which is funded by grants, donations and by the staff when the budget is tight.

United Hands is currently working to become an office where people can sign up for Medicaid, the Child Health Insurance Program and the Affordable Healthcare Act.