Massachusetts Preparing for Summer Food Service Program
2019 Summer Food Service Program to provide tens of thousands of children meals at no cost
 

MALDEN — The Baker-Polito Administration, in collaboration with the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) will launch the 2019 Summer Food Service Program in June and hopes additional organizations will come forward to sponsor meal sites.
 
The Summer Food Service Program is a U.S. Department of Agriculture-funded initiative that provides free, nutritious meals to children when school is not in session. In Massachusetts, DESE administers the program.
 
More than 400,000 children across Massachusetts qualify for free or low-cost school meals during the school year. During the summer months, children lose access to these nutritious meals, and families frequently find it difficult to replace the lost food. Without access to meals, children are at greater risk of unhealthy eating habits, fatigue, weight gain and summer learning loss.
 
The Summer Food Service Program fills this gap by providing nutritious meals in eligible areas throughout the state. The program provides children with access to meals at schools, parks, swimming pools, playgrounds, and other community sites, often in conjunction with enrichment and recreational activities.
 
“I am grateful to all the community partners who make the Summer Food Service Program possible, and I hope others will come forward to help students stay healthy and learning during the summer,” Education Secretary James Peyser said.
 
“We are proud to work with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and community sponsors to feed as many children in need as possible during the summer months,” Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Jeffrey C. Riley said. “The Summer Food Service Program helps students nutritionally, and many sites also engage students’ minds and sense of fun with summer activities.”
 
Participation in the summer feeding program has increased annually since targeted outreach initiatives were implemented in 1992. Last summer, over 100 sponsoring organizations participated, feeding an average of nearly 60,000 young people per day at more than 1,000 feeding sites across the state. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education expects the program to grow again this year.
 
Many Summer Food Service Programs will open before July 4 and operate until mid-August. Sponsors operate the sites with close technical support from DESE and outreach assistance from the Child Nutrition Outreach Program at Project Bread.
 
For information on summer meals, including how to become a sponsor, call Project Bread at (617) 723-5000.
 

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