Skokie Public Library Offers Free Lunch For Kids, Teens This Summer

SKOKIE, IL — With local schools off for the summer — and the highest levels of inflation in decades cutting into household grocery budgets — food insecurity threatens to become a challenge for more local families this year.

To help young people who may be in need of a consistent weekday meal, Skokie Public Library officials partnered with the Greater Chicago Food Depository to be able to provide free lunches for kids and teens up to age 18.

Lunches will be served from noon to 12:45 p.m. in the south courtyard of the library, located at 5215 Oakton St. In case of bad weather, lunch will move indoors. All food must be eaten on site, according to library representatives.

The library's free lunch program began this week and runs until Aug. 19.

Other local institutions are also operating summertime free lunch programs to those 18 and younger, including the Niles-Maine District Library, where food is available Tuesdays and Thursdaysfrom 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. in the commons meeting room, and the city of Evanston's summer food program, which includes weekday breakfast and lunches at a half-dozen locations.

Funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and administered by the Illinois State Board of Education, the Summer Food Service Program reimburses public bodies, nonprofits and other organizations to provide meals to children when schools are on summer break.