MANKATO, Minn. — West St. Paul’s Jeremiah Buckley couldn’t believe his good fortune.

Buckley enjoyed the highlight of his summer today during an extended visit in Mankato with a cousin.

Buckley got VIP access to the Vikings morning practice, and he got an autograph from star running back Adrian Peterson.

“It was good, a lot of fun,” Buckley said, showing off his autographed T-shirt.

Buckley and his cousin were among 50 children the team hosted because they had benefited from the Vikings Children’s Fund Summer Lunch Program.

All of them had been served lunches at Mankato’s three Salvation Army-sponsored feeding sites, which is part of a United States Department of Agriculture effort to provide free or reduced meals to children in need.

Alan Shannon said 270,000 kids benefit from the program during the school year but that only 10 percent are served in the summer.

Pioneer Press