Children can get fussy or have a hard time concentrating when they’re hungry — especially if they’ve had busy mornings playing, reading and participating in programs at the Selbyville Public Library — so Library Director Kelly Kline is pleased the library is again offering free lunches this summer.
The lunches feature menu items designed to be friendly to little ones and kids all the way up to age 18 — such as Italian combo sandwiches, chicken taco wraps, pasta salad and items from local restaurants.
“It really is a convenience for everyone,” Kline said, adding that Pit & Pub, 4 Brothers, Juice Box and Chick-fil-A provide meals for the program. “It’s a really nice thing.”
No proof of income or residency is required, but the lunches are provided only while supplies last, “because we don’t want to waste food,” Kline said.
“It can be hard to determine how many people we see each day in a week when we have to place our order from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Delaware,” she explained. “This is our 10th year, and we have served over 10,000 lunches. Usually, we have an activity right before lunch or after, to entice people to come in, just stay a little longer, get some books, see a program, have some fun. It’s like dinner and a show,” she said.
Federal budget cuts could affect this Summer Food Service Program, though, because it’s funded by the USDA in collaboration with the Department of Education.
“We are not going to stop it this summer,” Kline assured. But, “I don’t know what the future holds. We take it one day at a time, and that’s all I can really say at this point, because it’s just unknown. There is so much that is unknown.
“I don’t think we will see any changes in FY26, but maybe in FY27. But we can’t predict the future. We will certainly always do our best to respond to the needs of our community and to make sure we can help them access anything they need to have successful and full lives,” Kline told the Coastal Point this week.
The program operates in about 40 states, with Virginia, New Jersey and Pennsylvania the ones closest to Delaware. It is not offered in neighboring Maryland, according to the site finder at fns.usda.gov. The program is designed to help fill the nutrition gap that some students experience when schools are not in session.
“The USDA works with states to be sure children who receive free or reduced-price school lunch meals … can get the nutrition they need when schools are closed for summer break,” the website states.
The Summer Food Service Program is not available at the Frankford, Millsboro or South Coastal libraries, but free White Bag Lunches can be picked up from the Frankford library on Mondays and Thursdays. The bags contain cookies, ramen noodles, Pop-Tarts, cups of applesauce, potato chips, granola bars and canned goods, Frankford Public Library Director Bonnie Bly Elliott said, adding that the bags are provided by Lutheran Community Church, which is just outside of town limits. The Frankford library also has a small food bank for adults.
Kline said the program in Selbyville benefits from sponsors, including the Boys & Girls Club, which receives funding to procure the meals. They have been available since the week of June 16.
“In previous years, it ended earlier in August, and Salem Church has filled in the gaps until kids went back to school. We try to have something on hand. Salem Church has helped. St. Martha’s Episcopal Church in Bethany Beach has helped. We have a lot of excellent partners who have supported this cause,” Kline said, adding that federal budget cuts will affect libraries in general.
“There has been a lot of legal back and forth. All I can do is take it one day at a time and know what we have right now. And as decisions are made, we will respond to needs the best ways that we can,” she said.
Institute of Museum & Library Services funding is used for library infrastructure including software that allows library employees to check books in and out, and for the transit system that delivers books and materials from other libraries.
Kline provided a chart stating that federal funding for libraries is guaranteed each year by Congress and authorized under law. In 2023 and 2024, it states, Delaware received $1.39 million in IMLS funding.
Delaware libraries use federal funds in several ways, including for the Heritage Collections; to improve literacy; for teleservices support and technology access; for professional development of library staff; for a statewide catalog offering access to 3.2 million physical and electronic collections; to pay a courier to deliver interlibrary loan materials; to purchase access to e-materials; and for materials for those with visual impairments.
A number of public libraries around the country have reported in recent weeks that they would reduce or eliminate availability of e-book and audiobook borrowing for their users due to the cuts in IMLS funding.
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