Claremont
Next to Olivia, her brother Nate, 15, enjoyed an apple while chatting with his other siblings, Naomi, 13, Anna, 9, and Sarah, 4.
“They seem to like it,” said the children’s mother, Julia, about the bagged lunches available to Claremont children this summer through the New Hampshire Food Bank.
While attendance was light for the Children’s Community Lunch on its first day, expectations are numbers will increase in the coming weeks as more Claremont families become aware of the free daily lunch for children 18 and under that will be served weekdays until Sept. 2.
“We expect it to grow with word of mouth,” said Zadiah Eisenberg, the local coordinator for the program.
Cory LeClair, assistant superintendent for SAU 6, said the school district was approached a few months ago by the food bank, which is under New Hampshire Catholic Charities.
“They knew of our needs and wanted to know what they could do to help,” said LeClair. “We have many children who are experiencing food instability.”
LeClair said the district, which includes Unity and Cornish, has 53 percent of its students on free or reduced lunch.
She emphasized that all Claremont children are eligible for the free lunch and there are no income restrictions.
Lunches are prepared at the Claremont Soup Kitchen and delivered to Maple Avenue school, the middle school and the One-4-All Family Space (the Diana Love Center) at the corner of Elm and Main streets and are served between noon and 1 p.m.
The program also offers free lunch to children at the soup kitchen on Central Street from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
At Maple Avenue on Monday, Helen Costello, program manager for the New Hampshire Food Bank, said similar programs are available up north in Coos County and also in the southern part of the state and Lakes Region.
“There was no program like this here,” Costello said. “I look to work in rural areas and wanted to work in this community.”
When it was first proposed several months ago, Costello and LeClair said, the idea was immediately embraced by many local groups and individuals and they have added their support with time and in-kind services.
“Everybody really wanted to see us try it,” said Costello.
The program received partial reimbursement from the United States Department of Agriculture for the cost of the lunches, which must meet the same nutritional guidelines as schools with servings of fruit and vegetables required.
Costello said the USDA reimbursment helps but does not cover the full cost, so the progam’s success depends on volunteers, other grants and local organizations.
“It would be impossible without them. The Claremont Soup Kitchen has been so gracious working with us,” Costello said. “We rely on the volunteers and partners like the soup kitchen that lets us use their van and storage. With that help, we can purchase healthier meals.”
At the soup kitchen on Monday afternoon, Bill Dillon and Joan Petelle were busy preparing today’s meal, a southwestern rice bowl. This first day, 100 meals in brown bags were prepared and delivered in coolers.
While less than half were needed, Costello said they will adjust the amount each day once they get a better idea of how many children will be arriving each day.
LeClair said teachers and staff in the district and others in the community have stepped forward to volunteer their time preparing, packing and delivering the meals and handing them out at each location.
“As word spread, more and more people were interested in supporting our effort,” LeClair said. “The response has been overwhelming for this amazing opportunity for our kids.”
Costello agreed the program is enjoying broad community support.
“The whole community is coming together around it,” she said. “I hope the kids enjoy it.”
At Maple Avenue, the entrance is on the western side of the building at the gym, and at the middle school, it is the cafeteria entrance behind the school. Eisenberg said in an email that this year is a pilot year and they hope to serve the community in the years ahead.
Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com.
