On a recent Tuesday afternoon, a group of 10- through 12-year-old boys sat at a table in the children’s section of the Chicago Heights Public Library, engaged in a hot game of Uno and snacking on yogurt and apple slices.
“I like the programs here. They’re fun and they help me learn, which is the most important thing,” said James Butler, 10, adding that he also likes the food he and his friends receive at the library’s after-school program. The snacks and meals are provided through a partnership with the Food Depository.
“I’m always hungry when I get here,” Butler said. The others nodded in agreement.
James Butler, 10, enjoys a snack and card game with his friends. (Photos by Faayani Mijana for the Greater Chicago Food Depository.)
Iris Peters, a mom of one of the card players, expressed gratitude that the boys have a fun, inclusive and engaging place to go after school that also provides nutritional food for those who need it.
“This is a safe place for our kids. It’s like family,” she said. “And the kids love Ms. Carmen.”
A deeper need
Carmen Moorer is the youth services manager at the Chicago Heights Public Library. When she started her job last year, she was immediately struck by something the kids needed far more than books: food.
The kids in the after-school program love Ms. Carmen, and she says the feeling is mutual.
“A lot of kids would come here right off the school bus, and nearly all of them were hungry,” Moorer said. Then she learned their stories – the four siblings living with their mom in the family’s car, the seven siblings and cousins being raised by their 75-year-old grandmother, children who weren’t receiving food elsewhere.
“We’re a community in need,” Moorer said.
She started buying food for them out of her own pocket, knowing that wasn’t sustainable. So, she was thrilled when she discovered the Food Depository.
We now provide daily – meals and snacks for the students in Moorer’s afterschool program – as well as food for her youth summer program – freeing Moorer to spend her resources and time on programming for the children, many of whom have come to know the library as a second home.
Freed to learn and think
The Chicago Heights Public Library program is one of more than 50 afterschool programs in libraries, schools and community centers for which the Food Depository provides meals and snacks, helping to meet the needs of the one in five households with children in the Chicago metro area who are food insecure.
Michael Russel, 10, recently learned about etiquette at the after-school program.
Most afternoons you can find Michael Russel, 10, at the library doing homework, playing educational games, engaging in crafts and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) projects and enjoying a hearty snack. “I’m always excited about food,” he said.
Michael receives breakfast and lunch at school, and his grandmother, Gail, who is raising Michael and several of his siblings and cousins, relies on SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps) to put dinner on the table for her grandkids.
“It isn’t enough,” she said, adding that sometimes the kids eat cereal for dinner when there’s nothing to cook.
Whether at school or doing homework, when Michael is hungry, he says it’s hard with “my stomach growling at me when I’m trying to focus.”
“The food is good here,” he said, adding that his favorite snack at the program is carrots with ranch dressing.
The students enjoy snacks and playtime at the library.
Peace of mind
Though fewer students participate in after-school meal programs than receive breakfast and lunch at school, these after-hours programs are vital.
Multiple studies have shown their benefits to children, including promoting social and emotional skills, encouraging positive behaviors, improving school performance and attendance, and providing a nurturing environment after school. For working parents and students who are hungry, these programs provide peace of mind.
Keshia Bardney, mom of a 6-year-old daughter who attends the after-school program often, said the program helps balance the high cost of food and helps bridge the gap between meals. Her daughter eats lunch at school at noon, and Bardney doesn’t prepare dinner for her family until 6 or 7:00 p.m., after she’s done with work and picks up her 2-year-old.
Anna Peters, 12, says the applesauce and muffin are her favorite snacks at the library’s afterschool program.
“This program is wonderful,” she said. “And the food is really good.”
Though the kids receive snacks when they arrive at 2:30 p.m., several will ask for more food before they leave at 4:30 p.m.
“Some have nothing at home,” Moorer explained. “They’re trying to get full here before they go.”
Though the need weighs heavy on Moorer, she said her passion for the kids keeps her going. “I love every single one of them. These kids are our future. If we don’t invest in them, who will?”
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