© 2024 WSKG

601 Gates Road
Vestal, NY 13850

217 N Aurora St
Ithaca, NY 14850

FCC LICENSE RENEWAL
FCC Public Files:
WSKG-FM · WSQX-FM · WSQG-FM · WSQE · WSQA · WSQC-FM · WSQN · WSKG-TV · WSKA
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
91.1FM WSQE-FM HD1/HD2 in Elmira/Corning is currently off the air for maintenance. You can still listen to WSKG News on our website or through the WSKG App.

Diner Offers Free Lunches To Hungry Kids

abf3f061-8ba0-415c-b425-61df8cb92f55
Aunt Robin's Diner in Lancaster is giving out free bagged lunches to children ages 15 and younger during the summer.
https://news.wbfo.org/sites/wbfo/files/201807/2018-07-10_mroziak-free_kids_lunches.mp3

She serves breakfasts and lunches to customers from her Lancaster diner. Robin Finsterbach, owner of Aunt Robin's Diner, wants to be sure kids don't go hungry during the summer. So, she giving them a free bagged lunch.

During the summer, children ages 15 and under need simply inform the server they are "here for lunch." What they'll get is a bagged meal including a sandwich, fruit and vegetable, bag of chips and drink.

"All kids are welcome," said Finsterbach.

"I see some kids around the area. Some of them are hungry. It's not just for people that are struggling, it's for everybody."

When asked what inspired her to do this, Finsterbach explained that while growing up with numerous siblings in a home with older parents, money was tight and her mother would make batches of food to last for a longer period of time. For example, she said, it might be chili which was eaten over the next week.

Now a business owner and mother - her son Chris was also working in the diner when WBFO paid a visit - Finsterbach wants to make sure local kids don't go hungry during the summer, when they don't necessarily have access to a meal as they might at school. She also pointed out that even suburbs are not immune from hunger.

"Even in Williamsville and Clarence, it's not always true," she said about the perception of affluence in those municipalities. "The higher the rent, the less people have to feed their kids."

Donations are welcomed to help offset the costs. When the summer ends, so too will the free bagged lunches but Finsterbach also provides free meals to everybody at other times of the year. They include Thanksgiving dinners and Christmas breakfasts and usually something for Easter.

"I tell my kids, even if you have five dollars, you still have two dollars to try nad do something nice for somebody else," she said. "All is takes is a kind word or gesture to make somebody smile."