Lompoc Public Library is hosting free lunches for kids and teenagers on weekdays during the early portion of summer.
The program, called Lunch at the Library, runs Monday to Friday from June 20 through July 14. Lunch is served from 1 to 2 p.m. at the library's youth patio.
Meals are not provided on weekends and the program will not be available on the Fourth of July, which is a Tuesday this year.
Participants must be 18 years or younger. Participants do not need to sign up, show identification or submit an application to obtain lunch.
"With the city of Lompoc, the main thing is during the summer providing something where the youth can come and benefit from it,” Gianna Diaz said, who is the youth librarian assistant at the Lompoc Public Library. “So, one of the things that we like to provide here is not just an experience of getting a meal where they're getting a nutritious meal throughout the day, but also an activity where they're safe and they're having fun."
Roughly 30 meals were provided to children on the program’s first afternoon. Officials with the program say they may bring more meals if demand increases.
“We hope you will come for healthy lunches, summer reading, and free activities to help young minds and bodies grow and thrive!” a Facebook post by Lompoc Unified School District announcing the program said.
Lunch at the Library is a partnership between the library and Lompoc Unified School District through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Service Program.
