Food bank’s Picnics in the Park program keeps life pure and simple

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, June 29, 2016

While I was sitting in a coffee shop going intently about my business, a toddler with pink polka dot tights, clear blue eyes and a red plastic sippy cup appeared at my side and leaned her body against my crossed legs. It was one of those moments when life, pure and simple, pulls you out of yourself to be present for something important.

But this presence in the face of importance applies to other things in both my personal and work life. Most recently, Picnics in the Park, a summer lunch and activity program for children and youth. Weekdays at noon, the space at Ober Park between the lavender and the picnic tables fills with children ready to eat and play: pure and simple.

The picnic program was started three years ago by the food bank to provide nutritious food for children in families who face the challenge of food insecurity, not sure that they will be able to provide the daily sustenance their families need. The impetus was the realization that given federal guidelines, Vashon Island School District could not provide its free and reduced lunch program when school was out. With almost 23 percent of the district’s children eligible for this program, the district still did not qualify.

In 2014, the food bank did what successful nonprofits are capable of doing and stepped in to fill this need with a program that offers free lunches and activities to all children and youth. The food bank staff is delighted that Picnics has developed into a bona fide Vashon Island-wide community event, offering a safe, welcoming space for all to share food, learning and fun. The first year, Picnics was four days a week and served 1,009 lunches. In 2015, the program expanded to five days a week and provided over 2,100 lunches. Open to all ages, in 2015, over 80 percent of children served were age 10 and under. This year, we are hoping that more older youth will pop in for a quick lunch.

Picnics is carried out by volunteers working with staff coordinator Maggie Smith. In 2015, 398 volunteer hours were given by 24 people, and most are coming back this year. It is a great place for community service for teens or a shared family activity.

Menus are planned for nutrition, dietary needs and appeal. Choices are important, with options including peanut butter and jelly, turkey and cheese, hummus and crackers, veggies and fruits, chocolate milk and water with lemon or orange. Fortune cookies and baby ears of corn may show up on occasion.

Last year, many attendees were there almost every day, and children never seemed to lose enthusiasm for the food or the activities. The sounds of conversation, laughter and play reverberated around Ober Park. People were often gathered in clusters: in line for food, around picnic tables, listening intently to story time, waiting their turn to play on the hillside, following the business of the bees in the lavender. These clusters would shift and change with youth breaking off to ask for seconds or run to the playground.

Relaxed adults played beside their young children, connected as is only possible when life feels secure and safe. Activity leaders gathered youth in a (semi)orderly fashion for story times, local musicians or supervised goofing around. This year, we are looking forward to guide dogs, pizza making and a repeat performance by Duo Finelli. Pure and simple: kids being kids. Picnics provides a mix of structure and freedom, intended to engage children’s minds, bodies, imagination and social skills.

Last year, when people would approach staff or volunteers, they often spoke of a feeling of togetherness. The community formed at Ober Park each day was a small reflection of Vashon as a whole. It was a gathering space for play, conversation and nourishment. One of our regulars put it quite poignantly:

“This program feeds people, and not just with food. It is nourishing to the body, the spirit and the community.”

This summer you will find me on Mondays at 12:30 p.m. sitting under a big old fir tree, encircled by children, reading stories in English and Spanish, feeling blessed to be present for something important.

— Robbie Rohr is the executive director of the Vashon Maury Community Food Bank.