DATE: April 22, 2026
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers
FROM: Library Department
TITLE: ACCEPTANCE OF GRANT FUNDS FROM CALIFORNIA STATE LIBRARY TO CONTINUE LUNCH AT THE LIBRARY SERVICES
RECOMMENDATION
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Staff recommends that the City Council accept $67,258 in grant funds from California State Library, awarded to the City to support Lunch at the Library services, and appropriate these funds to the Library & Cultural Arts Department.
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BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS
Lunch at the Library is a project of the California State Library (CSL), developed by the California Library Association (CLA) and the California Summer Meal Coalition, with support from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. It provides California libraries with the opportunity to apply for funds that will support existing free meal and food distribution sites and promote literacy, health, and well-being enrichment activities at these locations.
From 2018 through 2026, the Library has received Lunch at the Library award funds to enhance meal programming, promote early learning, and to educate families about healthy nutrition at the Library and at existing free meal and distribution sites for youth throughout Oceanside.
Funding has been reduced statewide, and the City has been awarded California State Library grant funds in a lesser amount of $67,258, a decrease of $11,761 from last year and a dramatic $133,483 less than the year prior to that. The 2025-2026 Lunch at the Library grant will provide programming support for ages 0 to 18 at the Civic Center and John Landes Community Center Libraries, other community food distribution sites, and pop-up youth activity programs in Oceanside, including the Libby Lake, Crown Heights, and Chavez Community Resource Centers, and Joe Balderrama Park and Melba Bishop Recreation Centers, throughout the summer. The Lunch at the Library grant program runs from February 2026 to January 2027.
To support and promote summer reading and learning, the Oceanside Public Library will provide free educational, gardening, nutrition, art, and family literacy activities, along with free books to enhance home libraries of kids and their families who also attend meal service and food distribution sites. The meals will be provided by partner organizations, such as Boys & Girls Club and Oceanside Unified School District, at no cost to the City. The project and its programming will incorporate public health best practices.
The continued grant funding will provide for a provisional part-time benefitted 32-hour Librarian I position, four teen-aged interns, and books provided during meals to build home libraries. The Librarian I will coordinate outreach, social media content, and oversee the grant program activities and interns. The intern will prepare and facilitate the meal service and educational activities, and assist at the pop-up community sites. The teen intern will have an opportunity to cultivate essential soft skills and personal work habits for their own growth and also help with Library and community goals.
The total grant amount of $67,258 includes $66,114 for targeted staffing and $1,144 for free books to enhance home libraries to kids and their families who attend meal service and food distribution sites.
FISCAL IMPACT
Of the grant funds received, $54,144 will cover the continued cost of the provisional part-time benefited 32-hour Librarian I position (AD27LB04) and $11,970 will cover the cost of four existing intern positions (XLB052-54 and 56), from February 2026 to January 2027. $1,144 will cover the cost of books for home libraries. The total amount of $67,258 received from the California State Library will be deposited and appropriated as follows:
|
Description |
Account |
Amount ($) |
|
Revenue |
|
|
|
Lunch at the Library 25/26 |
836166425272.4401 |
67,258 |
|
Expenditure |
|
|
|
Regular Employees (AD27LB04) |
836166425272.5105 |
37,901 |
|
Temporary & Part Time Employees (XLB052-54 and 56) |
836166425272.5110 |
11,970 |
|
Fringe Benefit Burden |
836166425272.5207 |
16,243 |
|
Materials & Supplies |
836166425272.5355 |
1,144 |
|
Total |
|
67,258 |
COMMISSION OR COMMITTEE REPORT
The Library Board of Trustees approved acceptance of the continued Lunch at the Library Grant funds from the California State Library at its regular March 24, 2026 meeting.
CITY ATTORNEY’S ANALYSIS
Does not apply.
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Prepared by: Marie Town, Library Division Manager
Reviewed by: CJ Di Mento, Library Director
Submitted by: Jonathan Borrego, City Manager
Attachments:
1. Lunch at the Library