LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — At the Clark County Library, snack time is always followed by playtime, but playtime is never fun on an empty stomach.
“When you come home, there’s really nothing to eat,” Kristen Quiroz said.
Quiroz is taking care of her little sister and, just like many, her family is no stranger to food insecurity.
During school breaks, they would make use of the grab-and-go meals provided by CCSD, but that stopped after the pandemic.
“We tried to make ends meet when we could or thankfully we would have really good neighbors who would be like ‘hey do you guys want some food,'” Quiroz said.
Quiroz is relieved to learn many libraries are offering free snacks to teens and young kids in their “Kids Cafe” program
“It does help when you have something free, and it saves you a few extra dollars to spend on food for another time,” Quiroz said.
The snacks are provided by Three Square Food Bank to the many branches within the Las Vegas- Clark County Library District.
“You can tell that they may not have had a lot for lunch and they may not have much when they get home,” Robbin Gaebler, the branch manager at Clark County Library, said.
Gaebler said the need doesn’t seem to go away as there are some students who are there every day.
Although the turnout is different each day, the Library District is always prepared.
Kids Cafe will be open every day this week at the Clark County Library.
The program is spread across four other libraries but times and days may vary.
