Summer Food Service Program Offers Free Nutritious Meals to Combat Childhood Hunger
By Garrett Christensen on Friday, July 21st, 2023 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
NORTHEAST OREGON — (Release by the Oregon Dept. of Education) The Oregon Department of Education is encouraging Oregon families to take two steps this summer to help combat childhood hunger:
- Find a summer meals site.
- Spread the word about summer meals sites.
When schools let out for the summer, thousands of Oregon children lose access to breakfast, lunch, and afterschool meals, available during the regular school year. Many children and families rely on these school meals to supplement what is available at home.
The Summer Food Service Program helps fill this gap by providing free nutritious meals to children and teens over the summer months. Free meals and enrichment activities are offered at more than 650 locations throughout the state including many schools, parks, and other non-profit organizations.
Meals are available to any child 18 and under without regard to race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), age or disability.
Finding Meal Sites
There are more than 650 summer meal sites in Oregon alone.
Families can look up meal locations in their area by:
- Calling 2-1-1
- Texting “Food” or “Comida” to 304-304
- Visiting Summer Food Oregon
