California Summer Meal Coalition
The California Summer Meal Coalition (CSMC) is an
initiative within ILG’s Collaboration and Partnerships program
and works to combat food insecurity and childhood obesity by
ensuring low-income children and youth have access to healthy
food when school is out by increasing access to USDA summer meal
programs.
CSMC brings together local and state leaders in child nutrition
and physical activity, summer learning, food policy, anti-hunger,
youth development, school district leadership, city and county
leadership, along with the California Department of Education and
the California Department of Public Health. These groups share
their expertise to develop and promote strategies that strengthen
our communities when school is out.
CSMC provides resources and technical assistance to city, county,
school and community leaders to help them leverage federal
nutrition programs to facilitate greater intergovernmental
collaboration and to create healthy, connected communities. One
of CSMC’s signature projects is Lunch at the Library, a
partnership with the California Library Association, to keep
low-income children and youth healthy and learning when school is
out through summer meal programs at California’s public
libraries.
For more information about the California Summer Meal Coalition,
visit www.summermealcoalition.org.
For more information about Lunch at the Library, visit www.lunchatthelibrary.org.