FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 29, 2019
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Santa Clara County Library District, YMCA of Silicon Valley and Second Harvest Food Bank Team Up to Provide Lunch at the Library During Summer Break
SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CALIF. – The Santa Clara County Library District (SCCLD), the YMCA of Silicon Valley, and Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties (SHFB) are once again partnering 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 the SCCLD Bookmobile’s program 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 helps to fill that gap. Last summer SCCLD served 5,783 kids meals and 796 adult meals, a 42% increase from 2017.
“Childhood hunger is all too common in the summer,” said Mary Hoshiko Haughey, Sr. Vice President of Operations for the YMCA of Silicon Valley. “We are happy to help feed these families. No one should go hungry just because school is out.”
Free and nutritious 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, that include whole fresh fruits (no preservatives) that help promote growth and development.
“Hunger doesn’t take a break during the summer and neither do we,” said Leslie Bacho, CEO 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, SCCLD hopes to get them learning. 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. On June 20, for example, the San Francisco 49ers’ mascot Sourdough Sam is making a special visit to Lunch at the Library in San Martin.
“We are so pleased to bring lively programs to the children in the South County and throughout our Library District,” said County Librarian Nancy Howe. “From musical guests including Cascada de Flores to a Mini Maker Faire, our patrons are going to have a wonderful time at the Library. We encourage families and residents of all ages to sign up for our 2019 Summer Reading Program It’s Showtime at your Library!”
A kickoff celebration to launch this year’s Lunch at the Library Program will be held at Gilroy Library on Wednesday, June 5 from 3 pm - 4:15 pm. 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. Please note that the days and hours vary by location. Updates can be found at sccl.org/summer2019.
San Martin Gwinn Elementary School Cafeteria
100 North Street, San Martin, CA 95046
Dates: June 11 – August 8
Days: Tuesday and Thursday ONLY
Time: 12 pm – 1 pm
Gilroy Library (enter on south side)
350 West Sixth Street, Gilroy, CA 95020
Dates: June 10 – August 2
Days: Monday – Friday
Time: 12 pm – 1 pm
Morgan Hill Library (enter through lobby)
660 West Main Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA 95037
Dates: June 10 – August 2
Days: Monday – Friday
Time: 12 pm – 1 pm
Friday lunch will be served in the City Council Chamber Building
About the Santa Clara County Library District
The Santa Clara County Library District (SCCLD) promotes knowledge, ideas, and cultural enrichment. Its collection includes more than 2 million books, videos, CDs, DVDs, Audiobooks, eBooks and extensive online resources accessible from home or work. In 2014, SCCLD celebrated one hundred years of service to local residents. For the last eleven years, SCCLD has been consistently recognized as one of America’s Star Libraries by Library Journal. In 2018, SCCLD was ranked among the top ten large libraries in the United States in the Library Journal Index of Public Library Service. In 2014 and 2015, SCCLD won Innovator Awards from the Urban Libraries Council.
SCCLD includes two bookmobiles, an online library, seven community libraries and one branch library serving Campbell, Cupertino, Gilroy, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Milpitas, Monte Sereno, Morgan Hill, Saratoga and the unincorporated areas of Santa Clara County. In 2018, SCCLD had nearly 370,000 library account holders and welcomed 3.3 million visitors who borrowed 9.85 million items.
Find the Santa Clara County Library District online: www.sccl.org
Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Look for us on Instagram. @SCCLD
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Santa Clara County Library District- Diane Roche: DRoche@sccl.org
YMCA of Silicon Valley- Charles Crosby: Charles.Crosby@ymcasv.org
Second Harvest Food Bank- Diane Baker Hayward: 408-266-8866 x368
