Food, books and learning — they all come together this summer with Lunch at the Library. The program takes library services beyond the stacks to school sites around Plumas County, delivering books, activities and in-person presentations to local kids and families participating in the Summer Meal Program and summer school.
Plumas County Library staff members will make three visits this summer to each site where Plumas Unified School District is providing free bagged lunches through its Summer Meal Program. They will offer families another type of bag in addition to the lunch bags: Instead of food, each bag will include a brand-new age-appropriate book, craft supplies and information about library services.
“We love any opportunity to help kids build their home libraries and participate in fun STEAM activities.”
Dora Mitchell, Plumas County librarian
In addition, the library staffers will head into each school offering summer school to present a STEAM project in science, technology, engineering, arts and/or mathematics.
Plumas County Librarian Dora Mitchell said she values the partnership with PUSD’s Summer Meal Program and summer school. “It lets us connect with local kids and reach those who might not otherwise be able to visit the library during the summer,” she said. While the library uses Lunch at the Library as a chance to promote its Summer Reading Program and encourage families to visit their local library branch, it also lets the library take books and activities to them directly, she said: “We love any opportunity to help kids build their home libraries and participate in fun STEAM activities.”
The first Lunch at the Library giveaways and presentations were held the last week of June. Upcoming dates are:
- Portola, at City Park and C. Roy Carmichael Elementary School: July 15 and 29.
- Quincy, at Quincy Elementary School Alder Street campus: July 16 and 30.
- Greenville, at Greenville Elementary School: July 17 and 31.
- Chester, at Chester Elementary School: July 17 and 31. Note that there is no summer school offered in Chester this year.
Partnership with Summer Meal Program
During the June 25 Lunch at the Library program in Quincy, library staffers Sharon McKay and Lauren Liggett handed out 44 bags to children and caregivers who were picking up their bagged lunches in front of the Quincy Elementary School Alder Street campus. Recipients ranged in age from infants to teens, and several families received lunches and library bags for visiting children, both friends and family.
Tracy Darue, food service administrator at the Plumas County Office of Education, emphasized that all children ages 0 to 18 are invited to receive both Summer Meal Program lunches and Lunch at the Library materials, even if they are just visiting the area. “Being able to provide kids with free books and activities while feeding them is invaluable for our community,” she said. “The Plumas County Library provides a wonderful program to nourish the minds and knowledge of kids, while Plumas Unified School District nourishes their bodies.”
Darue, who had just carried in a box of strawberries from the local Rugged Roots Farm, pointed out that the Summer Meal Program also works with the Feather River Food Systems Collaborative, bringing Farm to School to the school district.
The Summer Meal Program runs Monday through Friday until Aug. 6, closed July 4. Meal pickup is available between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. each day.
Partnership with summer school
After the meal pickup period, McKay and Liggett met with Mark Mokski, PUSD summer school administrator, who led them into a classroom to present a STEAM activity. In the second and third grade class, Liggett guided children through the construction of a breath-powered frog-and-fly model. By blowing through a straw, kids could make the fly lift off, jump out of the frog’s mouth or roll around.
The project involved several STEAM learning opportunities: the frog’s food chain provided an ecology lesson, hands-on construction skills required following directions, observing the force of air movement introduced kids to physics, and determining how to place the straw and blow to achieve different effects helped develop problem-solving skills.
McKay and Liggett gave away an additional 41 bags to summer school participants, and provided the STEAM activity to 25 kids across the two classrooms. When time allows, they also remind kids and families about available library services and how to get library cards.
Mokski said he appreciates the library staff coming into the classroom to assist staff in keeping children engaged with the Lunch at the Library STEAM activities. “Having a third party is always beneficial,” he said. “And the children enjoy it!”
PUSD summer school operates for six weeks on a drop-in basis. It is open to all children enrolled in PUSD schools during the previous school year. The program provides breakfast and lunch every day, along with enrichment, art and physical education activities. Mokski said the program is intentionally flexible in order to “catch as many clientele as we can. We’re here to support the needs of the family.”
About Lunch at the Library
The Plumas County Library has been providing Lunch at the Library programming since 2019, according to former Plumas County Librarian Lindsay Fuchs. The program, which aims to help prevent summer learning loss for children and teens in targeted communities, is a project of the California Library Association.
In some cases libraries themselves serve meals, but the Plumas County Library doesn’t have the space or capacity for that, said Mitchell. “Luckily we’re able to partner with the schools to do ‘pop-up library’ services at each <Summer Meal Program> location,” she said.
As with all library services, Lunch at the Library is completely free for recipients. It is funded by a grant from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, as well as funding from the state. The California Library Association reported that funding of $3 million was recently restored to the program after cuts were proposed during state budget negotiations. That funding will now be categorized as ongoing rather than one-time. Participants and collaborators alike hope this bodes well for the longevity of the program in Plumas County communities.
