How NYC Kids Can Get Free Meals This Summer

More than 13 million children in the United States live in homes where families don't regularly have enough food to eat, which means 1 in 6 children in the U.S. face hunger. During the summer months, the problem is compounded, since students don’t have access to food at school. NYC is not immune to the problem, but does have programs to give hungry children access to meals even when school is not in session.

According to No Kid Hungry, 5 out of 6 kids who rely on free or reduced-price school meals aren’t getting free meals in the summer. In NYC, there are a number of organizations that aim to fix that. The NYC Summer Meals Program, which runs from June 27 to August 31, provides free breakfast and lunch to children ages 18 and under at hundreds of public schools, parks, pools, and libraries in all five boroughs.

The extensive list of participating venues was just released by SchoolFood, and can be seen at the Office of School Support services website. Dates and hours vary by location, but some locations and mobile trucks will also offer meals on Saturdays and Sundays.

City Harvest is also currently hosting a food drive to help fight food insecurity in NYC families. The food drive, which runs through June 17, helps provide much-needed food for New York City’s children throughout the summer. Collected food will be distributed to a network of 500 soup kitchens, food pantries, and other community food programs serving hungry children and their families across all five boroughs. Last year the program collected enough food to feed more than 2,800 kids and their families in New York City for an entire summer.