1. P ERSONAL T IPS F OR A S UCCESSFUL S UMMER F EEDING P ROGRAM Contact Information: Lisa Wyman & Elaine Rahn Marion County Public Library 201 E. Main Street Lebanon, KY 40033 Phone: 270-692-4698 Fax: 270-692-9555 Email addresses: lisamcpl@yahoo.com elainerahn@hotmail.com

2. We feel very strongly about our library’s participation in this program, and literally feel that it’s one of the most important things that we’re able to do for many of our children and families during the summer. First, how we got started… W E L OVE S UMMER F EEDING !

3. First things first! GO TO TRAINING Keep the information you receive at the training in a folder, take lots of notes! Try to send 2+ staff members to the Summer Feeding training session. You will need one person that has been to the training on site at all times during the feeding program. Don’t forget to take into account unexpected (and expected) days off that will occur during the summer. This alone makes it necessary for more than one person to have been trained. Before you leave the training session, you will be asked to schedule your feeding dates and times. Consider the pros and cons carefully. Lunch times: Too long vs. too short. It may be helpful to know that if someone comes in after your listed serve time, it’s against the program rules to serve them. ON A PERSONAL NOTE :

4. REGISTRATION ! 1 Month Before Register children and families for Summer Feeding. You may find it helpful to ask for children’s ages and a contact number on your registration sheet. Work out transportation with your director or coworkers regarding lunch pick-up, mileage, and other unexpected travel needs (such as picking up or returning extra lunches). Decide where and how lunches will be served. Will table seating be used, picnic seating on the floor? Decide if there will be a program in conjunction with the lunch, and work out details. Work out how the clean-up detail will be organized! (more tips on that later)

5. 1 Month Before: Personal notes We typically call and confirm lunch attendance a few days before our first serve date to get a more accurate count. We are also considering adding a few boxes to our registration sheet that gives individuals the choice of checking if they intend to attend lunches DAILY or OCCASIONALLY. A note could also state that if OCCASIONALLY is checked, to please let us know 24 hours in advance if they plan to attend lunches. Our daily lunches served over the last 5 years has typically averaged between 20 – 50 lunches per day. After a week or two, you’ll realize when your peak days are. Contributing factors: a lead-in program, a program scheduled immediately after lunch, etc. Be aware of weeks where there may be a summer camp at your local schools, a VBS, etc. Weather is not always a factor in attendance numbers! A few ideas for activities in conjunction with lunches include stories or audio books. (What works best for us are lead-in programs or programs that follow shortly after lunch.)

6. SUPPLIES Thermometers Digital Infrared ( You may find it helpful to ask your local health dept. what type of thermometer they use / recommend. Chances are it’s something relatively inexpensive. We used digital thermometers until last year, when we changed to an infrared thermometer. ) Signage Where lunches are being served Summer Feeding required postings Share table sign! Record Keeping Check sheet Pencils You may occasionally need change (usually for an adult that may want to purchase a lunch) Extra Supplies Hand Sanitizer Napkins / Paper Towels Straws Condiments Wipes Plastic Gloves (your local schools may provide you with extra straws and napkins to keep on site)

7. 1 Week Before Make sure to gather all needed supplies If necessary, call your Summer Feeding Coordinator with any questions Have paperwork in order and any relevant phone numbers (you will not receive some paperwork until lunches are picked up on the first day) It may be helpful to call the individuals / families who registered to confirm that they will be joining you for lunch on your first serve day. The first week’s numbers may be a bit confusing until you learn who your regulars are. Take a deep breath – you can do this!

8. First Day! Call in lunches as early as possible (be aware of what time your food preparers would like lunches to be called in). Have a back-up phone number. On rare occasions, there may have been a problem with a school’s phone system. Know how to reach your Summer Lunch Coordinator at the Board of Education. Leave earlier than normal to pick up lunches on the first day of the program. It may be someone else’s first day also. There will be paperwork to be picked up, questions to be asked…expect that other host sites may be picking up lunches at the same time. Take the temperature of the lunches and milk as soon as the food arrives on-site. Take another deep breath – you can do this!

9. Miscellaneous Helpful Hints Do the best that you can when deciding the number of lunches to be called in on the first day! Throughout the program we have returned extras if there is an excessive amount left over, and in extreme cases have even called to see if we can pick up last-minute extras. (This may not be practical for some host sites depending on your distance away from the food preparation site.) Make sure there are large trash cans (and extra trash bags) available in your room. Have a large bowl or container available for leftover milk or juice to be poured into. This will help to eliminate spills and leaks in your trash cans / bags.

10. More Miscellaneous Hints Let families know the guidelines from the very first day…in what area the food must be eaten, what can be taken home, and when any extra lunches will be served. (We usually wait until minutes before the end of our serving time.) Have a “share” area to put unwanted food so that it will not be wasted. At our library, we only send 1 staff member to pick up lunches, however our local school provides carts on-site to get the lunch crates, boxes, hot boxes, etc. out to the transportation vehicle. If this is not the case in your district, it may be helpful to send 2 staff members to pick up a large number of lunches.

11. More Miscellaneous Hints If one staff member picks up lunches, it is VERY helpful if someone is available to help move lunches from the transportation vehicle to the area where lunches will be served. Have at least 2 staff members available to serve lunches. We personally use an assembly line system. The participants form a line outside our designated room and wait for us to notify them when we’re ready. When they enter the room, they are first told to wash their hands (with hand sanitizer) and to grab a napkin and a straw. One staff member hands them their choice of milk, and marks their number off on the check sheet. The second staff member hands them the remainder of their lunch, which may be a bag, or in the case of a “hot” lunch day, a lunch bag plus the hot item (sandwich, piece of pizza, etc.)

12. Lastly… In order to have the milk at the correct temperature once we arrived at the library, our local food preparers found it helpful last year to place the milk in the freezer a SHORT time before we were scheduled to pick up our lunches in order to have the milk at the correct temperature once it arrived at our site. Too long before, and the milk would be icy (not good!). Just a tip to help combat the summer heat! And remember, you’re doing a great service for your library kids and your community! Don’t be overwhelmed…we all do the best we can, and even though there may be occasional glitches, WHAT YOU’RE DOING MATTERS TO A CHILD!!