School may be out, but good nutrition is year-round. The USDA Summer Nutrition Program for Kids helps provide free nutritious meals for youth ages 18 and younger. Those over the age of 18 who are physically or mentally disabled are eligible if they are participating in a public or nonprofit private school that was established to help with these disabilities.
There are three ways to find a community recreation center, summer school, and other neighborhood sites and mealtimes:
- Online using the Summer Meals for Kids site finder
- Text “Food” to 304-304 or “Comida” to 914-342-7744
- Call the USDA National Hunger Hotline at 1-866-3-HUNGRY (1-866-348-6479) or 1-877-3-HAMBRE (1-877-842-6273), Monday through Friday (Lunes a Viernes) between 7am and 10pm EDT
Families that don’t qualify for the Summer Nutrition Program for Kids but still need access to healthy foods may be eligible for Summer-EBT, a new federal grocery benefit program. Some school-age children will automatically be enrolled if they receive benefits like SNAP, FDPIR, or TANF, or if they’re part of the National School Lunch Program or School Breakfast Program. Households must meet income requirements for free or reduced-price school meals. For school-age children who aren’t automatically enrolled, families can apply on the EBT for their state.