Library branches to serve lunches for poor during summer reading programs

Beginning this week, several Riverside Regional Library branches will begin serving free meals to children as they stop by for summer reading program activities.

Director Jeff Trinkle said participating branches will include Jackson, Scott City, Benton, Oran, Perryville and Altenburg.

"We found last year there are a lot of kids who are hungry, and this is a great program," he said.

Though a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant had been discontinued since last summer, Trinkle said he and the library's board of trustees decided in late May to continue the initiative using unrestricted funds in each county.

"That gave us a month to get everything ordered and get it in," he said, with the food arriving about July 1.

Last year, 300 meals were served in June and July at the Oran and Benton library branches, based on income and other criteria.

Trinkle said in addition to expanding the number of libraries involved, about 960 lunches will be made available for visiting children, along with 945 boxes of milk that will be refrigerated before their arrival.

If parents or siblings happen to arrive hungry, they will be welcome to the bagged lunches as well.

"We don't refuse anybody," he said.

The lunches come with pop-top containers of tuna, a package of sesame-seed kernels, crackers, raisins and juice boxes.

All told, the meals, which the library ordered from Michigan-based JA Food Service, cost $2,550. The company is the same that was used under the USDA grant.

"It wasn't too much for us to do when you see the results," Trinkle said.

If everything goes well this summer, the program likely will return to the branches again next year.

In the meantime, branch managers at each library =still are deciding what days and times to serve the lunches.

Some will serve just one day a week; others will serve up to three days, he said.

ljones@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3652