Meals or snacks?

Given the early evening time slot for sessions, most participants with full-time jobs will have no opportunity to head home and eat dinner before the beginning of each class. All programs address this need by serving some type of food, ranging from snacks (fruit, crackers and cheese, soda and water) to light meals (sandwiches, chips, and a drink) to full-fledged dinners (spaghetti, Japanese take-out, fried chicken). Most serve some type of food at the start of the session, but one community serves sandwiches during the break midway through the evening. Refreshments offered by North Carolina's current citizen academies are outlined in the comparison table in the row labeled "Food provided."

If you choose to offer more of a meal, consider adjusting your schedule to allow your participants to eat first (preferably in another room), beginning a half hour to forty-five minutes before the actual start time. Otherwise, participants may feel awkward eating while a staff member is speaking or leading an activity, and the food may go mostly untouched.

Some academy coordinators use this shared meal time to talk informally with the participants, following up on questions raised the previous week or asking about their visits to community meetings or facilities since the last session. However, since this makes for a very long day for the coordinator with essentially no break between the work day and the start of the academy, consider asking a colleague to handle this dinner time slot. Arrange for your clerk, a human resources employee, or even the department head from the previous week's session to serve as host for this 30- or 45-minute period, so that you arrive at the beginning of the session refreshed and ready for the evening ahead.

Be sure to check with your participants early on about food allergies and be aware that any group of 20 adults is likely to include a few vegetarians. If offering light meals or heavier dinners, it makes sense to spread your business around to a variety of restaurants over the course of the program, especially in smaller communities. Doing business with a number of providers will generate good will for the program and appeal to the varied tastes of your participants.