Event

Eat the Library

"Eat the Library: How Libraries and Food Justice Organizations Can Work Together to Make Food Healthy, Safe, and Available in Their Communities" is the title of the annual ACL Institute, a workshop sponsored by the Association of Children's Librarians of Northern California.

Institute organizer Amy Martin, a children's librarian with the Oakland Public Library, remarked "Libraries are noticing that the availability of healthy food is an issue for many of the families we serve, from the lack of money or resources to obtain food, to the 'food deserts' in some areas where fresh produce is not offered in local stores, to the need for information on nutrition and cooking. The Institute will be a great resource for library staff who would like to help families address these issues."

Speakers and panelists for this timely workshop will include Barbara Finnin, Executive Director of City Slicker Farms; Nikki Henderson, Executive Director, and Jumoke Hinton Hodge, Program Director of People's Grocery; Suzan Bateson, Executive Director of the Alameda County Community Food Bank; Sandi Storch, from Alameda County Women, Infants, and Children. There will also be representatives from the Seed Folks Seed Lending Library, the Pacifica Sanchez Library Garden and Food for Fines at the San Mateo County Library, and others, offering advice on how libraries can help families access food and nutrition resources.