Join Our Summer Food Program for Students: Delicious Meals Available Throughout June!

Free Summer Meals for Kids: A Growing Program

The free summer food program for children is back and will run through June. It’s designed to provide free meals to kids aged 18 and younger. This initiative is crucial, especially during the summer months when many families face food shortages.

In just the first week, the Brookhaven School District reported serving 6,404 meals—an impressive increase of 668 meals compared to the entire program last year. This highlights the program’s importance as community needs grow.

Meals are available Monday to Thursday from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Lipsey School, located at 412 Drury Lane. Children must be present to pick up the meals but don’t need to be enrolled in the school district. This ensures that all local kids benefit.

To make weekends easier, the program includes meals for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, as well as breakfast for Monday on Thursdays. This small touch helps families plan better.

The menus are diverse, offering hot lunches most days. Breakfast items include cereals, pastries, mini waffles, and fruit. For lunch, options range from burgers to chicken nuggets and sandwiches. The rotating menu keeps things interesting for kids.

Last year, food insecurity affected nearly 1 in 6 children in the U.S., according to the USDA. Programs like this help bridge that gap. The last day to pick up meals is June 26, but meals for the following weekend will also be provided.

For those interested in the daily menus, they can check out olebrookcafe.org. It’s a valuable resource for parents looking to understand what their kids are eating.