Feeding Kids

About the Program

Category: Libraries (Best in Category)

Year: 2021

Our small Library serves a rural, disadvantaged County, where poverty reigns. Our USDA-funded food program helps kids know where their next meal is coming from. COVID-19 transformed the Library into a pantry, addressing food insecurities of stay-at-home families. We stock provisions, like World-War victory gardens, and distribute them to children 18 years and younger. Breakfast Breaks/Meal Breaks contain a no-cook breakfast, lunch, and/or snacks. Hunger stymies our community: nourishment softens the edges. Summer read, summer eat. In 2017, summer meant no school, which also may have prompted no lunches for some indigent families. We know hunger interferes with learning. Hungry kids don’t read. So we partnered with “Feeding the Gulf Coast,” becoming a sponsoring location. When COVID-19 struck, the program went full time (March 2020 to present: 6,853 meals served). Participants indicate a full stomach lessens their virus concerns. September 16, 2020. Hurricane Sally flooded the main Library, cancelled programs, revamped services. Recovery ongoing. Yet, six months working in a cramped branch facility, staff still manages to offer hunger-relief. Continuation was important to us. Whether Library patron or passing stranger, we will invite you in for a meal. Library statistics demonstrate being aware of others’ hunger does make a difference.