When the school year ends in Kentucky, so do school meals which provide a source of adequate nutrition for children across the Commonwealth.  Bridging this meal gap is critical in the fight to end childhood hunger in Kentucky, especially for the estimated 155,000 kids who are food insecure.  According to Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap Study, every county in Kentucky is home to portion of these kids who lack access at times to enough food for an active, healthy life.  Without access to school breakfast and lunch, summer is hungriest time of the year for many of these vulnerable children.

The USDA Summer Meal Programs are federally funded, state administered children nutrition programs which fill the gap in nutritious meals during the break between school years.  During 2023, summer meals were available to kids for varying lengths of time in 117 of Kentucky’s 120 counties.  A total of 173 organizations including schools; community and faith-based organizations; local government agencies; and two Feeding Kentucky member food banks served as program sponsors including 79 who provided non-congregate meals in rural communities.  Through a combined total of 2,034 meal sites, program sponsors provided kids free access to over 5.3 million summer meals in 2023.  Through the additional option of non-congregate meal, the total meal served in 2023 represented a more than 60% increase compared to just four years prior.  Of note, nearly 40% of all summer meals served in KY went to kids in rural communities, a subgroup of youth who for years lacked equitable access nationwide because of congregate feeding restrictions.

Among the numerous organizations who partner as sponsors or sites, public libraries are one of the strongest allies of summer meals programs in Kentucky.   Public libraires from one county to the next make a significant investment through use of their facilities, staff time, and other resources to ensure kids have access to adequate nutrition when schools are out in session.  It is a role for which libraries are well suited to play.  As community hubs providing structured learning opportunities to kids during summer, libraries help curb the summer learning loss in areas like reading and math, often referred to as the summer slide.  Kids from low-income households – and often, food insecure – tend to have further learning regress than their peers from middle and upper-income households. Public libraires providing enrichment opportunities and summer meals stand in defense against the summer slide and the summer nutrition gap, helping overcome two barriers to achievement among the most vulnerable kids in their communities

During 2023, public libraries in 38 of Kentucky’s 120 counties combined feeding, with reading to power achieving among kids through their participation in the Summer Food Service Program (SFPS).  SFP one of two USDA Summer Meals Programs which provide free meals to Kentucky kids each summer.   Participating public libraries provided summer meals either by serving as a SFSP sponsor or serving as a SFSP meal.  As a sponsor, public libraries take full responsibility of program operations including locating, recruiting, and managing multiple meal sites; completing, required trainings; hiring, training, and supervising staff and volunteers; arranging meal preparation and/or delivery; preparing claims for reimbursement; and building community partnerships with local organizations & volunteers that promote and sustain the summer meal program.  As a participating site, public libraries attend trainings provided by the sponsor, supervise activities and meal service; manage volunteers; distribute and store meals following guidelines; keep daily records of meals served; and help the sponsor to promote the summer meals in Kentucky. 

As the only library sponsor in 2023, the Lawrence County Public Library (LCPL) operated 3 rural, non-congregate meal sites including at the library location and two others at housing complexes operated by the county housing authority.  LCPL served over 14,000 reimbursable meals, accounting for 75% of all summer meals served by SFSP and SSO sponsors in this county located along the northeastern border of the state.  Thirty-seven county-level public library systems in Kentucky provided an additional 60 summer meal sites for kids across the state.   In total, KY public libraries served over 63,000 meals to help bridge to the summer meal gap for Kentucky kids.

KY COUNTIES WITH PUBLIC LIBRARIES PROVIDING SUMMER MEALS -2023