Chapter 8 of Norman Street

Chapter 8 of Norman Street discusses how the community can pull together and “make it work” in a time of economic struggles. The first section discusses the Summer Lunch Program that was initiated in 1972. This program provided free and healthy meals for children of low-income families during the summer time. Many families did not receive the proper nutrition as most families consumed meals high in carbs and fats but lacking in protein and vitamins. Many families also ate unhealthy prepackaged desserts and snacks as these forms of food were cheaper. Meals were often eaten exceptionally early or late depending on when the parents had to work. The women in charge of distributing these meals knew the family size and relative income of the local child and would distribute the meals in a manner they felt was appropriate, a fact that some residents found to be unfair. These meals were used to feed the entire family and often were saved in refrigerators to be eaten at a later date. Many families organized their eating and spending habits around these free meals and depended on them as a source of food. The second section addresses the creation of a play street that the community created to provide children with a safe place to play. Car traffic along a street was blocked and toys were provided, enticing children from this community as well as from other areas to play in this safe area. The local women took shifts supervising the area, collecting the toys at the end of the day and making sure that cars did not drive within this area. Any woman who did not seem to being doing her fair share of the work was socially ostracized until she began to contribute more. When the government was unable to provide barricades, the women improvised with garbage cans. The women worked together to provide a safe area for their children. The third section refers to the efforts taken by this community to decorate for the bicentennial. A local resident collected money from each family and raised enough money to hang flags and banners around the town. He also organized his family and some local children to paint a mural that depicted the needs and aspirations of the people of this community. This chapter shows how the residents can work together to benefit entire community. While many of the people in this community claim to have no interest in politics, they are willing to become actively involved members of their community.