Pasadena Public Library’s annual summer meal program, Lunch at the Library, provides free weekday lunches and enrichment activities to support learning for children ages 0-18 as well as youth job opportunities for teens. In 2026, we expanded the initiative beyond these core offerings introducing a new wraparound services component designed to connect families in greatest need directly to the essential resources they required.
Free dental care, insurance guidance, diaper giveaways and Family Navigator support services were added. Library staff partnered with Young and Healthy, USC’s Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry and the Pasadena Public Health Department to provide free preventive healthcare for children, including access to USC’s Mobile Dental Van, as well as assistance with health insurance and immunization information, free diaper distribution, referrals to no cost vision and pediatric exams and support for parents and caregivers of children with disabilities.
Food insecurity was a concern when the library launched its initial summer lunch program in 2023, with 13.9% of Pasadena households experiencing food insecurity and 10.7% of new parents being food insecure according to the Pasadena Maternal Health Assessment (MIHA). It was encouraging to see an overall improvement in the 2025 Health Needs Assessment, which reported 13% of households experiencing food insecurity. However, food insecurity among new parents increased, rising to 18.5%. Since families with young children are disproportionately impacted, many of our wraparound services were intentionally designed to support this population and respond directly to their growing needs.
This was the first year Lunch at the Library offered wraparound services, expanding support for families through meals, activities, and essential resources. The program provided dental care to 55 children, distributed 275 diaper packs and 100 baby wipe packs, offered 160 activities while serving more than 3,500 meals, and connected 243 families to services through Young and Healthy’s eight visits.
Families also received free books throughout the summer, inspiring one child at the free dental clinic to ask her mother if they could return every day to build her “house library.” Her mother, recently uninsured after her husband’s passing, later met with Young and Healthy and secured low cost health coverage. They also signed up for a library card, and are now regular patrons—illustrating how libraries serve as trusted community hubs that help bridge service gaps and connect families to vital support.
A child practices brushing teeth on a stuffed animal during a PPHD Oral Health visit. Throughout the summer, the library partnered with the Pasadena Public Health Department to provide families with free diapers, referrals, Ages & Stages developmental screening, health education, and family navigator support—including for children with disabilities and developmental concerns.
Meals are provided by USDA meal sponsors, including Pasadena Unified School District.
This institution is an equal opportunity provider. The Summer Food Service Program is a program of the U. S. Department of Agriculture, administered in California by the California Department of Education. Lunch at the Library is a project of the California State Library, supported with funds from the State of California.
