By: Diane Benjamin
In yet another attempt to turn the library into something it was never meant to be: http://www.bloomingtonlibrary.org/Assets/files/SRPprogramguide.pdf
I wonder where the tables and chairs will be set up? How are they going to keep the jelly fingers off the books? Will the library staff have to wash kids hands after lunch?
Feeding hungry kids is a good thing until parents realize they don’t have to. I prefer Benjamin Franklin’s philosophy for helping the poor:
.
.
.
.
.
.
Diane. Read please. There are kids starving in the summer. The country is much larger than central Illinois.
You are not heartless I believe but this post is.
Regards
Tom
Sent from my iPhone
>
Explain how they are starving. The parent(s) don’t feed them? They don’t get food stamps?
Well, this program will increase the attendance numbers showing a need for an expanded Library. In the past, I believe they offered lunches at one of the schools.
🐥
And also juice the numbers for (Dis)-Connect Transit (assuming some will ride the bus to get to the library and add to the “need” for a new downtown bus station.
I just want to point out that as a community we are concerned about children be indoctrinated into a liberal/socialist anti-Christian society. It seems that this is an opportunity for Christians to spend time with Children, to provide the truth, and to show how other human beings instead of government systems can take care of our own community. It’s too bad that Churches aren’t doing this instead of the government, but let the liberals organize and let us spread the truth.
The problem is how the problem is viewed. We help people within the church because we know we aren’t creating dependents. Government hands people money to create dependents, also known as slaves.
I agree Diane.
I wonder how this program will affect the Summer Reading Program. Last Summer families were turned away for lack of space.
There are other City facilities where government subsidized lunches could be hosted.
My son came home from the church on Market street They have a pantry & he came home with so much stuff & was told he could come back within the month. He brought home salmon, burger, and chicken plus tons of other stuff. It’s ridiculous that the library is doing this. Food stamps plus all the pantries in Bloomington/Normal are plenty to get by.
Not sure about the meal program; can’t comment on that. However, this is clearly an effort to sell the library and juice the numbers. How many kids will be on their smartphones while inside the library? Perhaps, they can serve food from the soon-to-be-bankrupt Green Top Grocery.
Does this mean that local restaurants will start lending books? This is the most ABSURD thing I have ever heard of. Youngsters eating at the library? What department head thought of this brilliant ideal. Granted some youth in the community go hungry in the summer, that’s WHY there are food banks, SNAP, etc. But to just “drop off” a child and have some one else feed them? And OVER 18 pays $3! Isn’t that age discrimination?
An 18 year old can be served at a food pantry without a parent/guardian. Food in a library is absurd.
🐥
A Illinois family of 4 receives can receive over $7200 annually in food stamp benefits, not including ANY of the other welfare state programs linked to it..
Cry me a river.
I wonder if the starving kids whose parents are too preoccupied with themselves to feed them one way or another will be able to get them to the library to be fed for “free”? I wonder if they will forego their nail appointment or “afternoon delight” to drop the kids off or just work around it? I’m not being callous – I KNOW there are families who truly do struggle a bit to provide their kids with enough food – I am also wise enough to know that this should be called The Benefits of Democratic Socialism class, geared to kids with a free lunch to go along with it. I also agree with the idea of a church feeding them IF they are truly destitute – I also know that a family of 3 (a mom and 2 kids for example) gets about $376.00 to $504.00 a month in food stamp/SNAP benefits. PERHAPS it might be better to offer some classes in “How to Shop” and “Basic Cooking Skills” to the parents – I know I can feed 3 people on an average of $450.00 a month – and it would behoove those on benefits to learn how this can be done and done in a nutritious manner.
I was thinking the same thing! They could also teach them the S in SNAP sounds for supplemental, it’s not meant to feed steak all month.
It’s easy to see the ones who are trying and buying economical but nutritious food and those who are just buying a lot of junk or “luxury items” (I’m a cart watcher from WAY back) I can see having a “steak night” nothing wrong with that – as long as they don’t use up all their benefits in a week buying nothing but high cost items and then have nothing the next 3 weeks.
Maybe instead of feeding everyone the library should consider hosting educational classes on how to shop and prepare meals on a budget.
Instead how about show the kids how to grow their own healthy food on the many empty properties around Bloomington? “Give a man a fish and feed him for a day, or teach him to fish so that he can feed himself for a lifetime.” Who said that?
I thought the saying was “teach a man to fish, and he’ll buy an expensive bass boat, lots of fishing gear and . . .. “
Except at Lake Bloomington where you can’t dock your boat!
Excellent idea, but can you even imagine the red tape and mountains of regulations Tarry and Company would put on this sort of thing ensuring that very little if any of the food they grew would ever be able to be harvested and consumed by the kids themselves? Of course it’s fine and dandy for THEM to hand out free produce at the West Washington Bike Dump and Indoctrination Center.
I wonder if the Health Department has approve the library food service?
“I wonder if the Health Department has approve the library food service?”
Ooh good question – perhaps the State may need to be called in for a “surprise” sometime. You know, just to keep the children safe…..
Why is the library being used? I have taken my grandchildren to the Presbyterian church in past summers where the free lunches were provided. Since my taxes are paying for this I felt we needed to avail ourselves of at least one return on our money even though with the abundance of food stamps its time parents fed their kids not expecting me to do it.