June 25: Mayor Nutter announces the start of Philadelphia’s summer meals program, with more than 1,000 community sites serving free meals

(Philadelphia)—No child should go hungry in Philadelphia this summer, with more than 1,000 sites serving free meals in low-income areas. Today, Mayor Michael Nutter kicked off Philadelphia’s summer meals program, which provides “Food That’s In, When School Is Out.”

“When young people have empty stomachs, it is harder to fill their minds with information and knowledge and their days with constructive learning and play,” Mayor Nutter said. “If you are a young person or know a young person who is in need of regular, healthy meals over the summer, please visit one of our sites.”

Summer is the hungriest time of year for children in Philadelphia. During the school year, more than 134,000 children eat breakfast or lunch at school. But when summer arrives and school is out, many low-income children can no longer count on school meals, increasing their risk for hunger and malnutrition during the summer months.

Last year, nearly 90,000 children ate summer meals in Philadelphia. But that’s at least 44,000 fewer than the number of children who received school meals during the school year.

“That gap means that many low-income children who may need summer meals aren’t getting them,” said Carey Morgan, Executive Director of the Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger. “With more than 1,000 places providing meals at no cost in Philadelphia, there’s no reason for any child to go hungry for even a day this summer. It’s just a matter of getting the word out to more families.”

Participating sites include recreation centers, churches, schools, parks, public housing complexes, day camps, PAL sites and WIC offices. There are no income requirements or registration in qualifying areas. Summer meals are also available at no cost to people with disabilities enrolled in educational programs up to age 21.

Summer meals are made available by the USDA’s Summer Food Service Program and Seamless Summer Option. In Philadelphia, sponsors of the Summer Food Service Program include Nutritional Development Services, Archdiocese of Philadelphia; Congregation Beth Solomon; the Philadelphia Department of Parks & Recreation; the Philadelphia Housing Authority; and the Philadelphia School District.  

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Read more to download a directory of summer meals sites and view an online map.