Patch
June 4, 2019
By Sue Wood, Patch Staff
The Santa Clara County Library District is sponsoring the lunches while students are out of the school, so no one without means goes hungry.
GILROY, CA — Who says there's no free lunch in life?
The Santa Clara County Library District, along with the YMCA of Silicon Valley and Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties are partnering for another year to bring free, nutritious meals to families in underserved communities in south Santa Clara County this summer.
The USDA-sponsored lunches will be served at Morgan Hill Library, Gilroy Library and through the bookmobile at San Martin/Gwinn Elementary School in San Martin.
During the summer, many students lose access to free and low-cost school breakfasts and lunch. The Lunch in the Library program managed by the county library district helps to fill that gap. Last summer, the district served 5,783 kids meals and 796 adult meals, representing a 42 percent increase from 2017.
"Childhood hunger is all too common in the summer," said Mary Hoshiko Haughey, the YMCA's senior vice president of Operations . "We are happy to help feed these families. No one should go hungry just because school is out."
The lunches will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, with priority given to youth. Accompanying adults will be eligible for any surplus meals.
The YMCA and Revolution Foods are providing the meals, which include whole fresh fruits intended to spur growth.
"Hunger doesn't take a break during the summer and neither do we," said Leslie Bacho, chief executive officer of Second Harvest Food Bank. "We are proud to partner with the library and provide funding for adult meals so caregivers can enjoy a meal with their kids."
Along with serving families lunch, the district hopes to prompt learning at the same time. Morgan Hill and Gilroy libraries offer a number of fun, educational and engaging programs. The bookmobile staff also plans to bring new programs, guest speakers and interactive games to San Martin.
The San Francisco 49ers' mascot, Sourdough Sam, is making a special visit to Lunch at the Library on June 20 in San Martin.
"We are so pleased to bring lively programs to the children in the South County and throughout our library district," county Librarian Nancy Howe said. "From musical guests including Cascada de Flores to a Mini Maker Faire, our patrons are going to have a wonderful time at the library."
A kickoff celebration to launch this year's Lunch at the Library Program will be held at Gilroy Library on June 5 starting at 3 p.m. There will be snacks available and a balloon artist will be on
hand to entertain guests.
Listed below is information about this summer's three free meal sites.
- San Martin Gwinn Elementary School Cafeteria at 100 North Street in San Martin between June 11 and0 Aug. 8 on Tuesdays and Thursdays from noon to 1 p.m.
- Morgan Hill Library (enter through lobby) at 660 West Main Avenue in Morgan Hill between June 10 and Aug. 2 on Monday – Friday from noon to 1 p.m.
- Gilroy Library (enter on south side) at 350 West Sixth Street in Gilroy between June 10 and Aug. 2 on Monday – Friday from noon to 1 p.m.
Read the original story here:
https://patch.com/california/gilroy/gilroy-kids-getting-free-lunch