A free lunch and a cool place to read during the summer. That’s what kids have been getting all summer at Maricopa County Library District’s Guadalupe Library. The library partnered with St. Mary’s Food Bank in order to create Read and Feed—a program meant to encourage youth to read 20 minutes a day all while enjoying a nutritious lunch.
The Guadalupe Library offered the program this summer, Monday through Friday, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. to all children 17 and under. The District’s East Region Manager, Liz Garcia, hopes to expand the summer program to more of Maricopa County’s libraries in the future in an effort to nourish bodies and minds.
“We’re stemming the summer slide. When kids are out of school over the summer and they’re not continuing their reading, their test scores tend to go down and this is combatting that.” said Garcia.
Read and Feed is one of 12 Library District programs to win 2018 Achievement Awards from the National Association of Counties (NACo).
“I am so incredibly proud to announce the 2018 NACo Achievement Award recipients,” said Cindy Kolazynski, Director of the Maricopa County Library District. “Thanks to our amazing staff for their dedication and leadership in implementing these unique and impactful initiatives.”
The Read and Feed program ends the first week of August.
For more information on Maricopa County libraries, visit https://mcldaz.org.