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Takiaya Jenkins looks forward to her bimonthly lunch gatherings with Palmetto Health employee Julie Riffle.
For the Carver-Lyon Elementary School fifth-grader, the regular meetings with Riffle are can’t-miss affairs.
“I get to spend quality time with my buddy,” Takiaya said. “We eat lunch and talk about regular stuff.”
On most days, those discussions take place in the school cafeteria. But this week, the two shared conversation and fellowship as they strolled through the animal kingdom of Riverbanks Zoo.
Riffle and other Palmetto Health employees joined students from Carver-Lyon and E.E. Taylor elementary schools Thursday for the year-end celebration of the Lunch Buddy program. The Richland 1 initiative pairs area adults with students for two hours each month during the school year to share food, fun and friendship.
Palmetto Health is one of many organizations in the area that sponsor Lunch Buddy programs, but with roughly 100 regular volunteers, the hospital system ranks as one of the district’s biggest corporate partners.
“The schools value the partnerships with Palmetto Health,” said Katy Watkins, Richland 1’s volunteer and mentoring programs coordinator.
It’s a partnership that hospital system volunteers value just as much.
“It’s a benefit to the young people because it gives them another positive role model,” said Palmetto Health’s Regina Brown, who coordinates the agency’s participation. “It also teaches us the importance of giving back.”
Watkins explained that each school designs its Lunch Buddy program to meet a specific need.
Some schools have the partner agency adopt an entire class, while others select certain students. Many volunteers simply eat lunch and play games with their buddies, while others may spend time helping with academics or social skills.
Palmetto Health’s Melinda McCray has been a lunch buddy for several years and sees her time spent as a more than worthwhile investment.
“We always hear and talk so much about negative things like gang activity and gang violence,” she said. “I figure rather than talking about it or complaining, I needed to do something. This was my way of doing something.”
Palmetto Health’s Tim Floyd has been a part of the program for three years and this year was paired with Carver-Lyon third-grader Tony Weston.
“He doesn’t eat much,” Tony joked of his older mentor as the two prepared to sit down for lunch Thursday at the zoo.
The Lunch Buddy program runs from September through April. The partners typically hold a year-end celebration with a special event such as this week’s zoo trip or a visit to one of their work sites.
“The benefit of a lunch buddy for a student is sometimes seen immediately and sometimes not seen for years,” Watkins said. “But a positive adult role model coming to spend time one on one with a student on a consistent basis is important to child development.”
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