The department is working to ensure no child goes hungry this summer with the Summer Meals for Kids program. The program provides hundreds of thousands of free meals for children throughout the Richmond area every summer. All any child between the ages of one and 18 has to do to eat free is walk into any of the more than 125 sites around the city where the meals are served. No advanced registration or reservations are required.
The program is offered through the department’s partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Every spring the department recruits sites that offer youth programs during the summer to sign up to receive the free breakfasts, lunches, or suppers, or various combinations of these that fit their programs. The department then contracts with a food service company that prepares and delivers the meals to the various sites. Participation in the program is also free for the participating sites.
The purpose of the program is to make sure children have access to proper nutrition during the summer months when they are not receiving meals at school. Last summer, the department’s program served approximately 346,000 free meals to kids throughout the city and beyond. This summer the program will continue through Aug. 31. For a list of sites where your kids can eat for free, call 804-646-5752 or visit www.richmondgov.com.
