For many children, summer is a time to enjoy a break from rigorous class work. But for some kids, summer vacation means that they’re no longer guaranteed a lunch- and in some cases, even breakfast. Virginia’s First Lady Dorothy McAuliffe visited Roanoke’s Main Library Wednesday to celebrate the Feed and Read program, which works in conjunction with the Summer Food Service Program. The S-F-S-P provides free meals to children 18 and under in eligible areas throughout Virginia.
That’s Virginia’s First Lady Dorothy McAuliffe reading “Lunch,” by Denise Fleming with the help of more than two dozen kids- from toddlers to preteens- who are patiently waiting to take Roanoke Library’s slide downstairs to get their free lunch. McAuliffe says that access to meals over the summer is vital for growth inside and outside of the classroom for low-income children.
“Good nutrition is the best medicine. And so making sure there’s access to healthy, good food all summer long is absolutely critical to making sure kids are healthy and well and strong and can come back [to school] in the fall ready to learn.”
Libraries are just one of the many locations where free meals are distributed by the S-F-S-P, but Dr. Sandra Treadway, the Librarian of Virginia, said that they are the perfect place for the program.
“Now we’re feeding not only their minds, but their bodies as well- and keeping them strong and healthy. So for public libraries, it’s natural for them to do this.”
A major goal for summer reading programs is to ensure that children don’t lose any ground in the progress they made during the school year. For low income families, the same goes for their nutrition, so Treadway says that makes the library location even more ideal.
“That summer slide can be really dangerous. Well, the same is true from a nutritional aspect. So what a perfect partnership to put the concern about losing ground in terms of the mind and the spirit and losing ground in term of the bodies.”
Last year, eight Virginia libraries served as meal sites for the Feed and Read program. That number up to 26 this summer, and McAuliffe says their next goal is to get a total of 50 Virginia libraries on board with the program. Their biggest challenge is access. One third of Virginia children live in communities that are not eligible for free meal sites, and even if they are, traveling to libraries and community centers can prove challenging for low income families.
Summer meal sites can be found by texting FOOD to 877-877 or by calling 211.