Local kids can enjoy free lunches and activities this summer at Bucks County Free Library
By Samantha Bambino
The Times
More than 57,000 people in Bucks County are food insecure, according to the Hunger Nutrition Coalition. A striking 32 percent are kids and teens 18 and younger.
“Children who are food insecure can suffer health effects. They’re also more likely to suffer from summer learning loss,” explained Kate Transue, children’s services coordinator for Bucks County Free Library.
To combat this, the Bensalem and Levittown branches of BCFL are partnering with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Summer Food Service Program for the second year to offer free lunches to local children. Now through Wednesday, Aug. 1, the branches will serve lunch three times a week on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from noon to 1 p.m.
The program was largely successful during its first year in 2017, serving 1,571 lunches throughout the summer. According to Transue, her predecessor, Diane Wachtendorf, was the “mover and shaker” of implementing SFSP at the library. During the application process, Wachtendorf spotlighted the number of low-income families in the area, explaining how much these children would benefit from the program both physically and mentally.
So how can local kids take advantage of these free lunches? As long as they’re 18 or younger, all they have to do is show up during the scheduled time. There’s no application, registration or income requirement — just a desire to enjoy a nutritious meal with new and old friends. BCFL is partnering with the Bensalem Township School District, a sponsor of SFSP, to provide the meals. In total, SFSP expects to serve more than 200 million free meals to children across the United States this summer.
Each day’s lunch is well-balanced, usually consisting of a cold sandwich, healthy snack and drink. Before and after their meal, attendees are invited to participate in the library’s Summer Quest, which runs until July 28.
Daily activities include storytime in the morning and afternoon, and opportunities to earn limited edition Badge Squad Summer Quest badges by completing challenges. In addition, lunch-goers can help BCFL in its mission to have Bucks County read 4 million minutes this summer. Every time they return to the library, they’ll get their logs stamped and help add links to the reading chain. They can also post what they’re reading on social media using the hashtag #BucksCountyReads.
A number of special events and visitors are also on the schedule, including Flow Circus, during which performer Paul Miller will captivate audiences with dynamic storytelling; Eyes of the Wild, which will showcase the sounds of rescued animals; 4-H Canine Capers Dog Club members and their furry friends, who will highlight the amazing things canines can do; and the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, which will solve the puzzles of paleontology by examining fossils.
According to Transue, the nutritious lunches and Summer Quest activities will work hand-in-hand to help students gain literary skills instead of suffering the summer slide, where they lose knowledge obtained during the school year.
“With SFSP and Summer Quest, we’re working to help prevent that,” she said.
Free lunches will be offered at Bucks County Free Library’s Bensalem branch, 3700 Hulmeville Road, and Levittown branch, 7311 New Falls Road, Monday-Wednesday from noon to 1 p.m.
Additional participating locations include the following: Just Children Bensalem, 2354 Galloway Road, which will offer breakfast from 9 to 10 a.m. and lunch from noon to 1 p.m. Monday-Friday; Just Children — Interplex, 2607 Interplex Drive in Feasterville-Trevose, which will offer breakfast from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. and lunch from noon to 1 p.m. Monday-Friday; Nona’s Loving Care Learning, 100 Prospect St. in Bristol, which will offer breakfast from 8 to 9 a.m. and lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday-Friday; Silver Lake Nature Center, 1306 Bath Road in Bristol, which will offer lunch from noon to 1 p.m. Monday-Friday; and Bensalem Community Park Concession Stand, 4301 Richlieu Road, which will offer snacks from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday.
For additional information contact the BCFL Bensalem branch at 215–638–2030 or the Levittown branch at 215–949–2324. Interested individuals can also contact food service coordinator Polly Welch at pwelch@bensalemsd.org, or assistant food service coordinator Crystal DiGiacomo at cdigiacomo@bensalemsd.org. A full listing of participating locations can be found at rangeapp.org. For more details on upcoming Summer Quest events, visit calendar.buckslib.org. Both branches are currently seeking teen and adult volunteers, who should contact their closest branch for more information. ••
Samantha Bambino can be reached at sbambino@newspapermediagroup.com
