Hello everyone! My name is Maeve and I have had the great enjoyment and incredible privilege to be able to run the summer meals site at Jane Addams Middle School this summer. Perhaps you have visited us at shady Jane Addams or maybe you have simply driven down 110^th street and caught sight of our green canopy blending in with the leaves of the trees that have made the site so comfortable even on the hottest of days this summer. Either way, you will know that the meal site at Jane Addams is one of the pleasantest (and possibly the most underrated!) sites in Lake City.

Jane Addams regular, Theo (center), celebrated his 5th birthday at Summer Meals, together with his mom and two brothers Owen (left) and Henry (right).

What I want to talk about, however, it is not so much my own site, but rather what I have come to believe the summer meals program means to the Lake City community, the Seattle community, and perhaps even the King County community at large. I believe strongly that communities play a powerful role in fostering fulfilling lives for their members. It seems to me that the summer meals program cultivates cohesive communities on multiple levels. On perhaps the most basic level, the meal sites offer a safe and stimulating place for kids to bond with their families and to meet and engage with other young people. Some children come accompanied by parents (and sometimes grandparents too!) to enjoy family picnics together. Some kids had happy and unexpected reunions with former classmates and were able to share a meal (and perhaps a game of Frisbee) together outside of the school year. Local librarians also got involved, bringing their craft out to the parks for the summer. Finally, I must mention another integral element that helps to make the summer meals program and HIP such vital parts of the community – our volunteers who have devoted their time to preparing and serving meals. At Jane Addams, I was joined by a number of young people who attend school right across the street at Nathan Hale High School. All of my volunteers came to work for HIP because they love kids and because they care about their community. Sarah Cohn, who volunteers at Jane Addams on Mondays and Tuesdays, said that she likes “that summer meals from HIP provide a positive, inclusive environment for kids to come and have meals. It’s nice,” she continued, “that they don’t have to feel bad about financial hardships when they’re there. It’s just about food and fun!”

Sophia Zhao and her mom listen attentively as Adriana, a librarian from Mercer Island teaches about animals

Natalie and Sarah, both rising seniors at Nathan Hale, were loyal (and fun!) volunteers at Jane Addams this summer

Sarah’s view of HIP and summer meals brings me to my next point. HIP and the summer meals program provide something else besides a social place for kids and families to congregate. This function that they offer is, I think, at the essence of forging a true community out of what would otherwise just be a group of individuals. That special something has to do with providing a space where everyone’s needs are met equitably with give and take and with a sensitive and empathetic attention to each person’s individuality and needs. This delicate balance – between proffering equal service and meeting individualized needs – is what I strove to achieve in my time at Jane Addams this summer. Programs like this one rely on the judgment of individuals, but also on a systemic commitment to establishing communities that serve the needs of everyone, without barriers or stigma. This, I think, is what makes United Way’s summer meals program successful: meals are provided to any young person who asks for one, no questions asked; meals are served at established community gathering spots such as parks, apartment complexes, and community centers; and volunteers and servers alike are members of the communities they serve, acquainted with the culture and needs of their neighbors and always willing to learn more. By integrating the summer meals program into community life, HIP and United Way have, I hope, been able to provide a service to our communities that honors the dignity of the individual and the right to self-determination. They have done this by designing a program that makes summer meals less about need and more about community.

Come visit us next summer at Jane Addams