TALLAHASSEE, Fl. (WTXL) — When Mary Douglas isn't organizing the shelves at the Dr. B.L. Perry Jr. Branch Library, you'll find her doing what she knows best.
"Just helping people. Making sure they have what they've come for."
It's here in this room where Mary goes above and beyond her duties as an executive director.
"So this is the first year that the library is offering the free summer lunches."
Free healthy meals provided by the Second Harvest of the Big Bend are packaged and ready to be given to kids and teens 18 and under. All in the fight against food insecurity.
"I'm hoping they can come in and enjoy the library, the atmosphere, and the computers. But they can also get that new lunch as well just like they would get at school."
The Second Harvest of the Big Bend serves 11 counties and gives more than 11 million meals to people in need every year.
Children and teens can pick up a healthy lunch between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. at the BL Perry Jr Branch Library every Tuesday through Friday. The program runs until August 13.
The Fort Braden Branch Library is offering both free lunch and dinner to students.
"So that's really good because a lot of students can walk to that branch library and pick up their food or families could drop by on their way home from work and pick up dinner."
According to the US Census Bureau, about 21 percent of people living in Leon County are in poverty. This is seven percent higher than the Florida average.
You can find a list of locations providing free meals to kids and teenagers by clicking on this link.
