This summer, librarian Adrianna Triche is doing more than connecting Wyoming-area kids to literature; she’s also helping bridge the summer meal gap through the food bank’s Library Lunches to Go program.
“I think it’s really important to help people who may not have the resources for their kids to have a well-balanced meal,” she said. “I was one of those kids. We went to food pantries growing up. It was the difference of me not eating that day or my mom not eating that day. It’s really important.”
This personal experience made signing up to help with Library Lunches to Go a no-brainer.
“I think it’s important to give back to our community and to just make everybody’s lives easier,” she said.
Passionate about art, Adrianna once volunteered at an arts event in her hometown in eastern Michigan, where she helped kids in need learn to paint. The experience is one that helped spark her passion for helping others.
After high school, she went to art school, but soon realized it wasn’t for her. She transferred to a new school, where she took a job at a library.
“I just absolutely loved it so I immediately got my masters in library science.”
Today, she works as a hybrid youth and adult librarian for the Kent District Library, so filling kids’ plates lines up with her passion. She’s been surprised at how many meals they’ve been handing out through Library Lunches to Go, and encourages anyone in need to come pick up a meal.
“If you can make anybody’s life easier, that’s kind of the point,” she said. “If you feel like this is something you need or want to be a part of then you definitely should.”