It is yet another way our library is serving all our community.

submitted by:
Ellen Meanix Helfrick, Branch Manager,
Collinsville Community Library

When I heard about libraries supplying meals and snacks after programs, I contacted my local principal (we are a public library in our own building but on an elementary School campus) to see what his thoughts were. He encouraged me to look into such a program given the number of free breakfast and lunches that they served. He felt that almost the entire school would qualify and yet did not apply. This knowledge stuck with me as I would occasionally add ‘look into free food at the library’ to my TO DO list.

Given how many hats I wear on a daily basis, that task never got accomplished. One concern I had was that I would have to make the kids prove they qualified and I did not want to give one child food but not another. I also feared it would be cumbersome in it’s paperwork and that families would only want the food, not the program first.

As it turned out, when contacted by Global Read and Feed Children’s Foundation, I discovered that the training was simple, the administrator very helpful and that I did not have to qualify each child as my school district qualified. The snacks are all ready to serve and are healthy. The families love it and are pleased with the partnership. As I prepare for summer number two with snacks after programs, I think families will be just as thrilled as last year. It is yet another way our library is serving all our community.

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Your library can help by becoming a “summer feeding” site. By providing meals with your summer reading program, you can help ensure that children not only have access to quality reading materials over the summer, but also to healthy food.

For more information contact the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) staff at the Pennsylvania Department of Education  SFSP-RA@pa.gov or call 800.331.0129.

Those kids are hungry…Feed them!