Summer Food Service Program
Maryland's Summer Food Service Program provides nutritious meals and snacks to low-income children (ages 18 and under) during June, July, and August. Meals and snacks are served at schools, community programs, faith-based programs, and recreation centers across the state.
Hunger doesn’t take a vacation when school lets out. The Free Summer Meals Program fills the nutrition gap for the low-income children who depend on free and reduced-price school lunch and breakfast during the school year. Free summer meals help families stretch their food budgets throughout the summer months. Serving free meals strengthens recreation and enrichment programs by providing a source of federal funding for nutritious food.
What's happening with summer food in Maryland:
Maryland Summer Nutrition Report
Summer Nutrition in the Counties (pdf) details county-by-county participation in Summer Nutrition Programs in Maryland in July 2008 and find that only one in five eligible low-income children received summer meals.
Maryland Hunger Solutions can help by:
- assisting your organization in applying to be a Free Summer Meals site;
- providing training and assistance on how to operate the program;
- helping improve food quality at your sites;
- providing information on conducting a level of excellence analysis for your site.
Help us spread the word:
Search the database for Maryland Summer Food Service sites on the Maryland State Department of Education Web site.
Contact us if your organization would be interested in becoming a Maryland Free Summer Meals site, particularly if you are planning to offer a youth program.
