|
One hot summer day my brother and I decided to embark on the entrepreneurial hallmark of childhood and have a lemonade stand. Equipped with a rickety card table, a hand stenciled sign, and a stack of paper cups, we set up shop on our front lawn. My mother supplied a pitcher of lemonade with an extra measure of sugar. We had never had a lemonade stand before.
We were excited: it was a scorching hot day and we were going to be rich.
We sat on the front lawn and waited for our customers. We waited. And waited. And waited.
After a while, we realized that our location was not ideal. We lived eight miles from a one-stoplight-town along a very rural road. I am not sure when we gave up. I think our determination lasted several hours. During that time, a total of two cars passed by. Neither of them stopped.
For us, summer was a magical time, but it was also a time of isolation. We weren’t saddled with the rigors of the school day, but we lived far away from anyone else and spent a lot of time alone.
As I traveled this week with the Bloom Truck – a partnership between The Hunger Coalition and The Community Library to bring free lunch and free books to the children of the Wood River Valley – I was struck by the sense of community at the locations we visited. The lunches were delicious, the books were colorful and fun...
...but I was particularly excited by the way that kids and families came together to socialize, interact, and play.
At the Bloom truck, I watched one child hold the blue drink dispenser so a new friend could push the spout and get a cup of lemonade. I thought about the day I spent with just my brother waiting along a dusty country road for someone, anyone. Here at The Community Library, we hope that the Bloom Truck is part of the magic that is summer. It brings delicious food. It brings fun, engaging books. Our community partners bring activities for kids.
More than all that, though, the Bloom Truck brings people together. It builds community. Our community. Come visit. Find our schedule in English and Spanish here.
| 
