Feeding young minds: County libraries use federal program to provide snacks to children and teens

Several Spokane County Library District branches are handing out snacks each weekday after school to help children in families dealing with food scarcity.

The program began in the Deer Park Library about five years ago and has expanded to the branches in Cheney, North Spokane and Spokane Valley. Children can receive a nutritious snack from 3 to 4 p.m. each weekday at the Cheney, Deer Park and Spokane Valley libraries and between 3:15 and 4:15 p.m. at the North Spokane Library.

The program is funded by the federal Child and Adult Care Food Program. It started in Deer Park years ago because that library is within walking distance of all the town’s schools and often had crowds of children there every day after school, SCLD Strategic Initiatives Manager Amber Williams said.

“Think of it as a pilot project that went really well,” she said. “We see the impact and the difference it’s made. It’s a great joy to expand it to other locations.”

The program didn’t expand initially because of changing rules about what foods could be served and then closures because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Williams said. The library district first applied to expand the snack program to other libraries in May and was just recently approved. That was partly because the program is typically used only by schools, Williams said.

“This is a federal program that wasn’t designed for libraries,” she said. “We fit in as an after-school location. We offer programs after school.”

Williams said other organizations used to fill more of the food scarcity gaps in the Spokane area, but some of those organizations have since vanished. She felt it was important for the library district to step up to fill those gaps where it could.

“We have the capacity and staff,” she said. “There’s not somebody else already doing it.”

The snacks are available to any child. Even teenagers who have turned 18 can receive a snack as long as they are still enrolled in school, Williams said. Children can come in with parents or by themselves. The only requirement is that they sign in with their first name, age and time of arrival, Williams said.

“It doesn’t matter if the kid lives in this area or goes to school in this area,” she said. “If they are in the library, they get a snack.”

The snacks will be served each weekday, even during the summers as well as spring and winter break and other nonholiday days schools are closed, Williams said.

“If the library is open, they’ll get a snack,” she said.

Because it is a federal program, only certain snacks can be served. They must follow USDA nutritional guidelines and they must be prepackaged and individually wrapped. The district purchases gluten-free and dairy-free snack options and the snack menu is posted two weeks at a time with ingredient lists available so parents can check for other allergens, Williams said.

In one year ending in September, the Deer Park Library handed out 4,107 snacks. Staff members usually prepare for about 25 children a day, though that number can vary, she said.

The program just started this month at the other three locations, so it’s difficult to pin down how popular they may become, Williams said. Staff members typically prepare for 30 children at the North Spokane and Spokane Valley locations and for 20 children in Cheney.

“We’re still in the process of learning what to expect at each location,” she said. “It’s a learning curve.”

If more children show up than expected, it’s easy enough to accommodate them, Williams said.

“We keep the food on site,” she said. “If we prep for 30 kids and 50 show up, it doesn’t mean the 31st kid goes hungry. It just means a staff member goes back and gets more.”

Williams said it’s possible for the libraries to adjust the time the snacks are served, but they can provide the food for no more than an hour. The district has slightly adjusted the snack time at the North Spokane Library in order to accommodate when children arrive, she said.

“The goal is to feed kids,” she said. “We’re going to make those changes if we need to.”

“We see the impact and the difference it’s made. It’s a great joy to expand it to other locations.” Amber Williams, Strategic initiatives manager for the Spokane County Library District