Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library hosts first Saturday Brunch
Executive Director Joanna Breen, left, toasts Kjirsten Flores, center, and Jeannie Hamrin Nov. 1 during the first Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library brunch. BILL PEARSON/Boothbay Register
Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library is serving a weekly continental breakfast on Saturday mornings. BILL PEARSON/Boothbay Register
Brunch is being served on Saturday mornings from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library with a variety of foods like fruits, yogurt, granola and bagels. BILL PEARSON/Boothbay Register
Executive Director Joanna Breen, left, toasts Kjirsten Flores, center, and Jeannie Hamrin Nov. 1 during the first Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library brunch. BILL PEARSON/Boothbay Register
Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library is serving a weekly continental breakfast on Saturday mornings. BILL PEARSON/Boothbay Register
Brunch is being served on Saturday mornings from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library with a variety of foods like fruits, yogurt, granola and bagels. BILL PEARSON/Boothbay Register
Yogurt, fresh fruit, granola, bagels, juice and Pop Tarts were on the menu for Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library's Saturday brunch. On Nov. 1, the library held its first brunch in an effort to ease the burden on people impacted by the federal government shutdown.
SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, is a federal program supporting low-income families and individuals, but the program ran out of funding Nov. 1 due to the federal government shutdown.
During a recent Community Resource Council meeting, the library volunteered to host a weekly brunch on Saturdays to provide an additional meal to families in need. "The council was looking for creative ways to assist people impacted by the loss of SNAP," said Library Executive Director Joanna Breen. "So I raised my hand,, and said, 'We can do a Saturday brunch'," Breen said.
So Breen and Library Technology Manager Bethany Schmidt began preparing for the inaugural brunch by purchasing additional food, table clothes and other accessories. Shultz told the Boothbay Register she was happy to join a community effort assisting those in greater need due to the loss of SNAP. "I've been so moved by how our community responded helping people who lost their SNAP benefits, and, I'm excited about assisting in a project which helps so many people," she said.
The brunch is open to all who want to attend. Around 10:20 a.m. on Saturday, Jeannie Hamrin was the first to arrive. She heard about the brunch by reading the Boothbay Register. "I'm a big fan of the library and I hadn't sent my (library) donation, so I'd decided I'd do it in person," Hamrin said as to why she attended the brunch.
Breen isn't sure if the Saturday brunch will continue after SNAP benefits are restored. "Even with SNAP, there are a lot of people out there who struggle. So, it may continue. We have to see how it goes before making a decision," she said.
Breen is in communication with several other organizations interested in hosting a community Saturday brunch at the library. Brunches are scheduled to run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
