On a Wednesday afternoon in July, the line outside the Skyline Hills Branch Library starts forming before noon, a full hour ahead of the free summer meal distribution’s scheduled start time.
“We have it scheduled at 12. They’re here by 11. They start lining up,” says Claudia, a librarian at the branch.
Since June, the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank has partnered with the San Diego Public Library and Cajon Valley Union School District to provide free summer meals and take-home pantry staples for children and teens ages 0-18 at locations across the county. For families at Skyline Hills, one of several regular stops on the summer distribution schedule, the partnership has become part of the neighborhood routine.
“It’s well received, and it’s much needed, because besides this being a diverse community, it has a lot of unmet needs,” Claudia says. “It’s the same families we see throughout the year at the library, but those families bring other families. They bring friends, they bring relatives.”
For many families, the library setting itself is part of what makes the program work.
“I think the location makes them feel comfortable, because we have already established a rapport with them, so it makes them feel more comfortable than going to other locations for their pantry needs,” Claudia says. “I think it just becomes a beacon for them to come and feel less embarrassed, because they’re visiting the library.”
Martha, a grandmother who visits with her 6-year-old granddaughter, Violet, said the convenience and consistency matter.
“I live right here close by, so I come walking. It’s perfect,” Martha says. “It does help a lot, especially at the end of the month. This is a big help.”
She’s also become an informal ambassador for the program. “I’ve been telling my neighbors, too, where I live. I’ve seen a couple of them here today. So that’s good. The word is getting out.”
Each family visiting a distribution site this summer takes home an average of nearly 21 pounds of food, drawn from a rotating menu that has included fresh produce, frozen ground chicken, canned soup, rice, pasta, peanut butter, tuna, and shelf-stable milk, alongside full-sized bags of cereal and vegetable oil.
For Martha, the variety is part of the appeal. “I’m excited about getting the fruits, vegetables, and cans,” she says. “They’re really helpful, especially the cans, because you can store them.”
Claudia says the partnership has also opened a door to other library resources for families who may not have thought to walk through it otherwise.
“Many of our families who come in for the pantry don’t know what the library offers, so I give them the calendar of events,” she says. “What I always tell people is the library is a free university. It’s free information. We’re not just about books; we’re also providing community resources for them, things that will empower them and help them be successful.”
For Claudia and her colleagues, the partnership with the Food Bank has made a tangible difference in what the library can offer its community.
“It’s very rewarding for all of us here at the library to be able to help,” she says. “Just those little bits help a lot, and I know that without the Food Bank, we wouldn’t be able to have this success.”
Across the summer’s 23 planned distributions at libraries and elementary schools, we expect to reach nearly 1,900 local households.
Free summer meals and take-home food support continue at participating library and school locations through August 27. Find a meal site near you.