Free summer meals served for children & youth throughout San Diego County
San Diego County CA—From June through August hundreds of sites throughout San Diego County will provide no-cost summer meals along with summer enrichment activities for youths age 18 and under. These meals are served by schools, libraries, community centers and youth-serving nonprofit organizations like the YMCA and Boys & Girls Club to make sure all kids have enough to eat during the summer break when school meals are not available.
Parents can find summer meal sites near them by texting “FOOD” or “COMIDA” to 877-877 or calling 2-1-1.
Through the Summer Food Service Program and the Seamless Summer Option, community based organizations and schools can be fully reimbursed for the cost of serving free, healthy meals in low-income communities during school breaks. These programs are funded through the United States Department of Agriculture. According to San Diego Hunger Coalition research, in 2016 over 200,000 eligible kids missed summer lunch and our communities missed out on over $21 million in federal reimbursements through these summer meal programs.
San Diego Hunger Coalition works with local nonprofits and schools to start and expand summer meal programs throughout the San Diego County. Since 2016, the Hunger Coalition has partnered with local organizations to create or expand more than 15 new summer meal sites, feeding an additional 3,940 low-income children.
The Hunger Coalition has resources available to help nonprofits and schools reach more families and spread the word. This year, Aetna Health has sponsored the production of a new flyer which has been made available, free of charge, to all summer meal sites. Also available is a Summer Meals Toolkit designed by San Diego Hunger Coalition to help local organizations start serving reimbursable summer meals at their summer programs.
Through its Hunger Free Kids initiative, San Diego Hunger Coalition provides free, hands-on support and ongoing guidance for schools, community-based organizations, and individuals who want to end child hunger.
For more information on summer meals, please visit www.sdhunger.org/summer-meal-program