Everyone at Food For Free is really pleased to be reaching more students and families with our Family Meals program this year. One of our newest distribution partners is the Somerville Family Learning Collaborative (SFLC). Family Meals Program Manager Fiona Crimmins started working with SFLC last October.

Food For Free recently chatted with Meghan Bouchard about this great program and the new partnership with Food For Free.

Food For Free: Tell us about yourself. What is your role?

My name is Meghan Bouchard and I am the Program Liaison for the Somerville Family Learning Collaborative (SFLC) which is the Family and Community Engagement Department of the Somerville Public Schools.

Tell us a bit about your program. Does it have a name? Who does it serve?

The SFLC runs programming that supports Somerville families, birth to adulthood. We have support groups for new parents/guardians, playgroups for families with young children, a home visiting program focused on early literacy skills, workshops on topics such as curriculum and learning or nutrition and wellness, English Classes for parents/guardians of Somerville Public School students, and more. 

The program I work most closely with is our multilingual team of Family and Community Liaisons who work with families at each Somerville Public School to help welcome families and connect them to school and community resources.

When and why was the program created? What need were you responding to? What problem were you trying to address?

The SFLC Liaison program, now in its fifth year, has worked hard to respond to school and family needs, and the issue of food security has always been in the forefront. The SFLC is now in its second year collaborating with the Somerville Backpack Program, also a partner of Food for Free, and now, in working with the Family Meals Program, we have been able to add to our capacity to meet the needs of the families we work with.

The Somerville Family Learning Collaborative Liaisons

What results are you seeing so far?

Between the Somerville High School Welcome Center and the SFLC office, we are so thankful to have Family Meals available for students and families who are dealing with food insecurity.  The meals are on hand and available to families and students we reach out to or who come to us for support.

 Any stories you’d like to share?

This year alone, the SFLC has worked with numerous families in crisis situations, and we are thankful to have the Family Meals program as a resource for those in need.

Thank you, Meghan! We’re so grateful for your work with Somerville Families and your partnership with Food For Free.

Have students at the Somerville schools and want to connect with the SFLC? Find your liaison here.