PEABODY — For its 15th summer, the Peabody Institute Library is offering free meals and activities to kids and teens as part of its Summer Eats program.
This summer, the program began on July 8 and is running on Mondays and Wednesdays from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. until Aug. 21. It takes place in the courtyard in front of the library, but moves to the teen room when there is bad weather. The meals are not available for grab-and-go and must be eaten on-site. No registration is required and the program is not limited to Peabody residents.
The program serves “healthy” and “well-rounded” meals, which typically consist of milk, fruit, chips, and a sandwich, Assistant Director Jenny Usovicz said. This year, the program is serving around 30 meals per day.
The program holds events like Make It Mondays and Water Play Wednesdays as ways to add activities and expand the food program, Usovicz said.
“A lot of people just come for the activity because it’s a fun, free activity,” she said.
Usovicz said the program offers free meals to the community without “stigmatizing” people who are food-insecure.
“It’s not just food insecurity. It’s access to programs and education and reading materials,” Senior Teen Librarian Amory Thomas said. “It’s really fulfilling, knowing that we’re doing this program and people are coming in and utilizing the library in a way that they should.”
The program has an impact on the community beyond its main purpose, Usovicz said.
“It gets people coming to the library… We get a lot of people, who I’ve never seen these families before, and then they end up coming all summer long and they come to other programs,” she said. “It’s a great gateway to library services.”
The library provides a “third place” for kids during the summer, Thomas said.
“In the summer, there is not a lot for kids to do, I feel. So just coming to the library, getting a lunch, (and) hanging out — it provides a space for them to exist,” she said.
The program served lunches up to four days a week during previous summers, but has been limited to twice a week this year due to staffing availability, Usovicz said.
The library’s program is sponsored by Citizens Inn, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Children Nutrition Outreach Program, Peabody Public Schools, the Peabody Institute Library, and Project Bread, according to its flyer.
Usovicz said the library’s Summer Eats program is a part of the statewide Summer Eats program, which is sponsored by Project Bread.
“Summer Eats is a federal nutrition program designed to ensure that all youth (18 and under) have access to healthy meals and snacks during the summer, when school is not in session! Free meals are available to all kids and teens at hundreds of sites across the state,” Project Bread’s website reads.
