A warm pizza stick, some carrots, an apple, and a drink were given to a group of children arriving with their parents at lunchtime at Ray D. Prueter Library in Port Hueneme.
It’s part of a program to offer free summer lunches and activities for youth aged 18 and under during the summer break.
They're just a few of dozens of youngsters served this lunchtime by the program. Organizers say that as many as 80 meals have been handed out in a single lunchtime.
"We don't ask for names or any sort of identification or anything like that. Anyone who is a high school student or younger can come in and get a free meal," explained Molly Fournier Krill, Youth Services Manager for Ventura County.
Over 50% of public school students in Ventura County qualify for free or reduced-price school meals — and in fact all children are offered free breakfast and lunch regardless of household eligibility. Krill says the program helps ensure kids don’t go hungry in the summer school break.
"There's a pretty significant percentage of kids who qualify for free lunch at school during the school year, who then don't have access to any food at all in the summer. So with this program, we are hoping to not only feed kids nutritious meals, but also feed their minds, bring them into the library, get them reading, get them doing fun activities, and give them a place to safely socialize," said Krill.
The program also gives families a reason to come to a library that offers more than books — it has cool air-conditioning and enriching activities for the kids, explained Kandee Kosior from the library.
"Today's STEAM activity is actually planting radish seeds," said Kosier. "Port Hueneme is in a very agriculturally active community as well, so we really just wanted to bring that into the library so kids understand how to take care of the soil and why it's important to take care of soil and the environment. Because that's where our food grows, and hopefully maybe it'll even spark an interest in pursuing an agricultural degree for some of our teens."
The long summer break puts added pressure on the resources of families who are experiencing food insecurity, and those who have come here say it lifts some of that pressure as well as being a fun adventure.
"With everything being so expensive, and it's nice, it's really nice because then they can have lunch like a picnic. We're gonna go read, and you explore some books and literacy, but you also have these resources and where the kiddos can eat," said one caregiver.
"It's very helpful, very helpful. I enjoy it because then they come and they can be at the library for a little bit of play; it's really enjoyable," said a mom-of-two.
"It definitely helps me enjoy the holiday a little more as well because I don't have to make three meals a day and do the constant dishes and stuff like that, so this is a fun outing, and it definitely helps the mom workload," said another mom.
The program runs at four Ventura County Libraries from Monday through Thursday until the end of July.
