ST. LOUIS — As schools in the St. Louis area close for the summer, many children lose access to important healthy meals they rely on during the school year. To help fill this gap, the St. Louis County Library and St. Louis Public Library systems have partnered with Operation Food Search to offer free meals to children throughout the summer months.
Starting June 2 and running through August 18, children can pick up nutritious lunches every weekday from noon to 1 p.m. at several county library branches. These locations include the Florissant Valley Branch, Lewis & Clark Branch, Natural Bridge Branch, Prairie Commons Branch, Rock Road Branch, and Weber Road Branch. The meals are provided free for children 18 and under, but they must be eaten on site.
In addition, several St. Louis city library locations will also serve meals in the afternoons. Baden Library offers meals from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, Carpenter Library from 3 to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday, Central Library from 3 to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday, Divoll Library from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and Walnut Park Library from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. These programs ensure children have access to healthy food even after school hours.
Originally, meal programs were planned for Cabanne Library and Julia Davis Library, but both sites remain closed due to storm damage. It is currently unclear if meals will be provided at these locations once they reopen.
This summer meal initiative is funded by the USDA’s Summer Food Service Program and coordinated by Operation Food Search. The program aims to provide reliable access to nutritious food for children during the summer months when school meals are not available. For more information about meal distribution, interested parties can visit the St. Louis city website.
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