(From Within Reach) Washington is the 22nd hungriest state in the U.S., and roughly one in five of all Washington families with children struggle to put food on the table regularly.
For the 482,000 children who rely on free or reduced price school meals to fill their bellies during the school year, summertime presents an especially daunting challenge. Families with children can expect to spend about $300 more per month on groceries when school is out. For families who already stretch their budgets to make ends meet, time out of school means less food to go around, and more kids going hungry every day.
The federal Summer Food Service Program (Summer Meals), coordinated in our state by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), ensures that even when school is out, children have a reliable source of nutritious meals all summer long. Unfortunately, only one out of every ten kids who would benefit from the program is actually eating at a Summer Meals site.
Summer Meal Sites provide free meals/snacks to children and teens (through age 18). Click here to Find a location near you!