Lunch Buddy Program

Children experience adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). When children experience 4 or more ACEs their risk for serious mental and physical issues skyrockets. In addition to early intervention, healthy relationships with adults are key to decreasing the risks, and that is exactly what a lunch buddy does!

As a lunch buddy, you are signing up to meet with the same student once a week or once every other week. You will join them during their lunch, and play a game or just visit with them. As a lunch buddy, you are signing up to be a consistent adult in the student’s life, committing to as much of the school year as you can.

The school staff will pair you with a student based on the preferences/your comfortability that you note when filling out your form.

Currently, you can sign up as a lunch buddy for Ed Clapp Elementary. We are working to add more schools and their lunch buddy programs as options, but they are not available yet.

Children thrive when they have safe, stable nurturing environments and relationships. From research, we know that consistent interaction with caring adults has a great influence on brain development. Strong and stable relationships have a greater impact on a child’s success than family structure alone.

The student you meet with will be a student that the school has identified as someone who could benefit from having a consistent adult in their life encouraging and supporting them.

If a change occurs in your schedule or you are no longer able to be a lunch buddy, please let the staff member at the school you are at know and they will work with you to either find a new lunch buddy time or wrap up your commitments.