FLINT, Michigan—The Gloria Flint Public Library, in partnership with the Meals Financial institution of Japanese Michigan and FIM, has launched a summer season meals program aimed toward addressing meals insecurity amongst kids.
The initiative supplies free lunches and snacks to kids beneath 18 through the summer season months, addressing a essential want locally the place kids usually are not attending faculty.
The partnership was impressed by a presentation White attended on the Michigan Library Affiliation annual convention, the place she discovered a couple of profitable meals insecurity initiative on the Delta Township Library. “That they had a three-pronged strategy to combating meals insecurity of their neighborhood, which included a partnership with the Higher Lansing Meals Financial institution. I introduced this to my management and we began a dialog with the meals financial institution,” White defined.
Robert White, youth providers librarian on the Gloria Flint Public Library, burdened the necessity to tackle meals insecurity.
“Throughout Genessee County, about 65,00zero persons are hungry or meals insecure,” White mentioned. “Entry to meals is very restricted through the summer season months or throughout faculty holidays, as a result of faculties are essential in offering these meals.”
Aiesha Lewis, FIM neighborhood program coordinator, highlighted the collaborative effort concerned in this system.
“Between FIM, the Gloria Coles Library and the Meals Financial institution of Japanese Michigan, now we have partnered to feed kids all summer season lengthy,” Lewis mentioned.
This system not solely goals to alleviate meals insecurity, but in addition to encourage academic engagement. “It removes the barrier to feeding children all through the summer season. It additionally offers children the chance to be taught over the summer season as a result of now we have weekly themes targeted on completely different studying goals,” Lewis mentioned.
White emphasised the initiative's broader impression on the neighborhood. “Hopefully, it's an enormous stress discount. We actually simply need to be sure that will get taken off folks's plates, particularly with meals prices going up,” she mentioned. “And hopefully, once they come right down to eat, they'll discover all of the great facilities now we have with the Artwork Institute, the Music Institute, the Library and the museum.”
These locations to satisfy and eat can be found:
FIM:
- Monday to Thursday from 12:00 to 13:00 (lunch) and from 15:30 to 16:30 (snacks)
- Durant Plaza on Kearsley Road
- 1241 E. Kearsley Road
- Between the FIM Whiting Auditorium and the Sloan Museum
Gloria Coles Flint Public Library:
- Tuesday to Friday from 12 – 1 p.m. (lunch) and 5 – 6 p.m. (snacks)
- 1026 E. Kearsley Road
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