Farm 2 Summer Week happens every summer in California to celebrate local foods and the farmers and gardeners who make it possible by offering tastings of local foods, providing educational opportunities about agriculture and nutrition, and engaging with the local community. Capistrano Unified Food & Nutrition Services is proud to partner each year with Lunch at the Library to bring Farm 2 Summer Week to the children of San Juan Capistrano and surrounding areas.
Throughout the week of June 16th, children and parents had a variety of opportunities to celebrate Farm 2 Summer Week. On Monday, children got to meet and learn about farm animals, including a rabbit, duck, rooster, pig, goat, and sheep.
Tuesday included a farm tasting stand with fresh local organic Valencia oranges from San Diego County, as well as a visit from popular children’s book and TV show character Llama Llama! Children got to enjoy breakfast for lunch with Llama Llama in his red pajamas.
CUSD produce partner Dickinson Family Farms made a visit on Wednesday to share with the kids how avocados are grown on their farm and to learn what make fruits and vegetables different. Lunch included a fresh homemade guacamole made with Dickinson’s own organic avocados! Families also had the opportunity to take home organic avocados to enjoy donated by Dickinson Family Farms, located in Fallbrook, CA.
To close out Farm 2 Summer Week, Food & Nutrition Services served up a barbecue feast, complete with hamburgers and homemade pickles made with locally grown organic cucumbers.
Lunch at the Library is a summer program provided by the state of California. During the summer, many students who qualify for free and reduced-price lunches lose regular access to meals due to food insecurity. Without these meals, students are at risk for learning loss and social isolation. According to the Report to the Legislature 2023-2024 Fiscal Year from the California State Libraries, in 2023, more than 1.6 million California children who qualify for free or reduced-price lunches did not receive summer meals. Last summer, Lunch at the Library was able to feed 360,234 meals across 201 libraries in the state of California to children in need, including 17,977 meals at Orange County Public Libraries alone through 6 libraries. This week, San Juan Capistrano Library served 349 meals!
Lunch at the Library continues through August 8th. Lunch is served from 12:00-1:00 PM, free of charge to all children 18 years old and under. Meals must be eaten at the library and are available for children only. San Juan Capistrano Library has many activities planned throughout the summer, including visits in July by authors Jesus Trejo and Emma Steinkellner, as well as Mouse from “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.”
