DATE: February 19, 2025
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 and appropriate $60,000 in grant funds from California Library Association and $79,019 from the California State Library, awarded to the City to support Lunch at the Library services, and approve one new provisional part time Hourly Librarian position to support the project.
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BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS
Lunch at the Library is a project of the California State Library (CSL), supported with funds from the State of California and 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 2024, the Library 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 sites for youth throughout Oceanside.
The City has now been awarded CLA grant funds in the amount of $60,000, as part of the 2024-2025 Lunch at the Library Partner Project, and CSL grant funds in the amount of $79,019 as part of the Lunch at the Library Summer 2025 project, to provide programming support for ages 0 to 18 at the Civic Center, Mission Branch, and John Landes Community Center Libraries, and other community meal sites throughout the school year and summer 2025. These funds will be used to support after-school and summer programming efforts at Library locations, and pop-up youth activity programs at other locations in Oceanside, including the Libby Lake, Crown Heights, and Chavez Community Resource Centers, Joe Balderrama Park, and Melba Bishop Recreation Center. The Lunch at the Library Partner Project grant program runs from February to May 2025 and the Lunch at the Library Summer 2025 program runs from February 2025 to January 2026.
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 to kids and their families who attend meal service and food distribution sites. The meals will be provided by partner organizations, such as Boys & Girls Club, Oceanside Unified School District or Feeding San Diego, at no cost to the City. Through Lunch at the Library grant projects, local nonprofits including Plants, People, Community and Studio ACE will participate in providing enrichment and educational materials for youth and families during after-school and summer meal times. The project and its programming will incorporate public health best practices.
The grant funds will support the creation of one new part-time provisional Hourly Librarian position, from June to August 2025, and continues funding for a part-time benefitted 32-hour Librarian I position and ten paid young adult interns, from February 2025 to January 2026. The Librarian I will coordinate outreach and engagement and oversee the grant program activities and interns. The Hourly Librarian will help to implement and oversee programming and meal support at Joe Balderrama Park through summer 2025. The interns will prepare and facilitate the after-school and summer meal service and educational activities, and assist at the pop-up community sites on a rotating basis. The teen interns 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 cost for these grant projects is $139,019. The total grant amounts of $139,019 includes $116,764 for targeted staffing and $22,255 for the materials and supplies and services needed to provide the free educational and outdoor activities and resources to Oceanside families. Existing staff salaries and wages totaling $49,404 in support of the grant are in the Library budget. In addition, given the reduced amount of funding available for Lunch at the Library this year, ENGIE, the City’s energy efficiency consultant, has confirmed its offer of providing additional support for supplies for the program.
FISCAL IMPACT
Of the grant funds received, $7,528 will cover the cost of the new Hourly Librarian position from June to August 2025 (BU 836166424272), $72,650 will cover the continued cost of the part-time benefited 32-hour Librarian I position (AD27LB04) from February 2025 to January 2026, and $36,586 will cover the cost of ten existing intern positions (XLB052-054, XLB056-62), from February to January 2026. The total amount of $139,019 received from the CLA and CSL will be deposited and appropriated as follows:
|
Description |
Account |
Amount ($) |
|
Revenue |
|
|
|
Lunch at the Library 24/25 CLA |
835166424276.4401 |
$60,000 |
|
Expenditure |
|
|
|
Regular Employees (AD27LB04) |
835166424276.5105 |
23,412 |
|
Temporary & Part Time Employees (XLB05-054, XLB056) |
835166424276.5110 |
15,178 |
|
Fringe Benefit Burden |
835166424276.5207 |
559 |
|
Professional Services |
835166424276.5305 |
4,160 |
|
Materials & Supplies |
835166424276.5355 |
16,691 |
|
Total |
|
$60,000 |
|
Description |
Account |
Amount ($) |
|
Revenue |
|
|
|
Lunch at the Library 24/25 CSL |
836166424272.4376 |
$79,019 |
|
Expenditure |
|
|
|
Regular Employees (AD27LB04) |
836166424272.5105 |
48,200 |
|
Temporary & Part Time Employees (XLB052-054, XLB056-62, New Hrly Lib) |
836166424272.5110 |
28,306 |
|
Fringe Benefit Burden |
836166424272.5207 |
1,109 |
|
Materials & Supplies |
836166424272.5355 |
1,404 |
|
Total |
|
$79,019 |
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 January 28, 2025 meeting.
CITY ATTORNEY’S ANALYSIS
Does not apply.
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Prepared by: CJ Di Mento, Library Director
Reviewed by: Michael Gossman, Assistant City Manager
Submitted by: Jonathan Borrego, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Staff Report
2. Lunch at the Library 24-25 CLA Grant Award Notification
3. Lunch at the Library 2025 Grant Award Letter