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Lunch is served at the Globe Public Library

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The Globe Public Library is in week three of its free summer lunch program thanks to a partnership with Summer Lunch Buddies, Arizona’s campaign for the Summer Food Service Program. The SFSP is a federally-funded child nutrition program that ensures free nutritious meals are available for children and teens ages 18 and younger while school is out for summer break.

The SFSP provides the food, but it takes a team of volunteers to serve the 75 plus children dining in the Globe Library’s side yard daily. “The turn out is amazing,” said Library Director Adrea Ricke. “We are providing healthy food to kids that might otherwise go without.”

Every day a tremendous amount of organization and hard work goes into delivering healthy meals to hungry bellies. The menu is always posted and ranges from Italian meatballs with green beans to a taco Tuesday special. Every meal is served with milk. “The food is all prepared at Dairy Queen,” said Ricke. “We send over some volunteers for pick up right before lunch time.”

The Friends of the Library provided lunch time trays for serving and cups for water. There is also a “Share Spot” where food that is not eaten can be placed for other children who are extra hungry that day. “We do our best to see that no food goes to waste,” said Ricke.

After lunch, trays are cleaned and sanitized and the yard is cleaned and prepared for the tomorrow’s lunch crowd.

There is no need to register or apply for lunch services.

Local Lunch Buddies locations include Destiny School for breakfast from 7:45 a.m. to 8:20 a.m., Globe Public Library for lunch from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m., and the Cobre Valley Youth Club for lunch from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.

This is the third year that the Globe Public Library is participating in the program.