St. Mary’s County Library served 2,804 meals and snacks to local children and families between June 15 and August 21 — a total that wouldn’t have happened at all under the library’s original plan for this summer.
For nine years, the library had partnered with St. Mary’s County Public Schools and the USDA to run “Lunch at the Library” at the Lexington Park branch, serving nearly 800 meals last summer alone. That federally supported program lost its funding heading into 2026, and the library initially scaled back its ambitions to just handing out grab-and-go snacks at one branch. Instead, a community fundraising push turned into something bigger: by late June, the library had already raised more than $12,000 toward the effort, and by the time the summer wrapped, that total reached $14,926 in donations, on top of a large volume of donated non-perishable food.
That support didn’t just replace what was lost — it more than tripled it. Summer Snacks, running Monday through Friday, served 1,267 people, while Lunch at the Library — held Wednesdays in June and then Mondays and Wednesdays from mid-July on — served 1,537 full lunches, together making up the 2,804 total. The financial donations let the library pay for lunches outright and supplement donated snacks with fresh items like milk, yogurt, string cheese and fruit; kids could eat as much as they wanted on-site and take leftovers home. The response was strong enough that the program, originally planned only for Lexington Park, expanded to Charlotte Hall and Leonardtown libraries as well, where snacks were distributed after children’s programs.
Local restaurants played a direct role in making the lunch program possible, with Chick-fil-A, Firehouse Subs, Papa Johns, Slim Chickens and Texas Roadhouse donating food or offering steep discounts on meals.
“We saw firsthand how these programs impacted the children and families who came through our doors this summer,” said Denise Varela, Assistant Branch Manager at Lexington Park Library. Kids, she said, had “a safe, welcoming place to eat their fill, spend time with friends, and participate in Library programs.”
Library Director Michael Blackwell credited the scale of the response for the program’s turnaround. “So many people, organizations, and businesses stepped forward because they wanted to help children and families in our community,” he said, calling every contribution — food, funding, discounted meals, or simply spreading the word — part of what made the summer work.
The library isn’t spending everything it raised. Leftover donated funds are being held to help relaunch the program for Summer 2027, when the library says it will aim even higher: a full lunch every weekday, Monday through Friday, alongside snacks to supplement meals and send home with kids.
