About Lunch at the Library

Lunch at the Library provides grants, training, resources, and technical assistance to help libraries establish successful summer meal sites or take programming to other community meal sites.

Libraries may participate in Lunch at the Library as library meal sites, as pop-up libraries to community meal sites, or a combination of the two. Participating libraries may also incorporate Youth Development programs into their Lunch at the Library programs to create opportunities for teens to support summer meals in either or both settings.

Library Meal Sites

Five kids in a library eating food at a small table.

For many families, the stability, nutrition, and education provided during the school year end when school lets out for summer. During the summer months, children and teens in low-income families often have reduced or limited access to healthy food. The Lunch at the Library program exists to meet this need while sharing information about other resources available at the library and in the community.

Libraries who will serve summer meals at library sites can apply for Lunch at the Library Core Program Funds. Funds can be used for: 

  • Books to build home libraries, which include literature connecting families to summer reading
  • Operational supplies (e.g. refrigeration supplies)
  • Materials for outreach and promotion (via social media, traditional media, lawn signs, etc.)
  • Supplies for on-site programming
  • Materials to create a welcoming and enriching space for families
  • Presentations offering enrichment
  • Staffing costs
  • Any other reasonable idea that promotes your library resources and literacy with families at library meal sites

For information on becoming a library meal site for the first time, visit the Getting Started page.

Each summer, public libraries bring pop-up library learning and enrichment programs to children and teens at community meal sites.  Community meal sites include local schools, neighborhood parks, and community centers.  For a comprehensive list of potential community locations, view last year’s summer meal sites.

Libraries that will take pop-up libraries to community meal sites can apply for Lunch at the Library Core Program Funds. Funds can be used for: 

  • Books to build home libraries, which include literature connecting families to summer reading
  • Materials for outreach and promotion of your summer reading programs
  • Operational supplies (refrigeration supplies, table coverings, shade tents, etc.)
  • Supplies for programming at community meal sites
  • Presentations offering enrichment
  • Staffing costs for support outreach
  • Any other reasonable idea that promotes library resources and literacy with families at community meal sites

Youth Development

Library summer meal programs can be an opportunity to provide teens with leadership development and workforce readiness skills as they assist with the work involved with providing meals at the library or taking pop-up library programming to community meal sites. 

Libraries that will incorporate Youth Development programs into their summer meal programs can apply for Lunch at the Library Core Program Funds. Funds can be used for:  

  • Food handling courses/certificates for teens 
  • Programming supplies
  • Trainings and/or training materials to help teens develop workforce readiness skills, team building, and leadership skills, program facilitation skills, social and emotional skills
  • Resume writing workshops to help teens highlight the skills they acquire over the summer
  • Staffing costs to support youth development programs
  • Any other reasonable idea that supports youth development programs

For more ideas, please review the following resources: