2022 Lunch at the Library

Purpose: Summer months often mean children and teens have reduced or limited access to healthy food, learning opportunities, and safe places to gather. Lunch at the Library helps California’s children and teens stay nourished and engaged while school is out. Public libraries are natural spaces for serving free summer meals to children and teens while school is out. Of the 2.4 million public school students in California who receive a free or reduced price lunch during the school year, only one out of six receive one during the summer according to the Food Research & Action Center. Lunch at the Library helps libraries provide free summer meals and programming at library sites, and take pop-up libraries to other community-based meal sites like parks and schools. Lunch at the Library also provides free books to help children build home libraries, summer reading and learning programs for children and teens, and health and wellness programs for families. It creates volunteer opportunities for teens and connects families to community services and resources. Eligible Applicants: Funds for establishing and enhancing summer meal sites are available to California public libraries serving summer meals in 2022. Pop-up library funds are available to all California public libraries interested in extending their outreach efforts by taking library programming to a community meal site. Eligible Geographies: All public libraries in California are eligible to apply.

• PSCFood & Nutrition, Libraries and Arts

• Grant guidelines

  Not yet available

• L
  lunch@library.ca.gov