DENVER – The Colorado Department of Education today announced that more than 600 summer meal sites are open statewide to provide meals free of charge to all youth ages 18 and younger. Parents, families, and community members can visit www.kidsfoodfinder.org to find a nearby meal site, including locations, dates and times.
The Summer Meals Program is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and administered by the Colorado Department of Education’s School Nutrition Unit in partnership with community-based program sponsors. Last year, program sponsors provided approximately 2 million meals to Colorado youth.
“Summer meals programs help ensure Colorado children continue to have access to healthy food even when school is out of session,” said Colorado Education Commissioner Susana Córdova. “We are grateful to our community partners across the state for helping provide this important support to students and families throughout the summer months.”
Meals are provided free of charge to any youth aged 18 and younger; no registration, identification, or proof of income or enrollment is required to access summer meals. In some rural communities, meals may also be available to take home.
Any school, nonprofit, government agency, camp, university, or community- or faith-based organization can serve as a summer meals provider, and it’s not too late to get involved. New meal sites are welcome to join the program by partnering with an existing provider anytime throughout the summer. All meals served meet USDA nutrition guidelines.
Families may also qualify for the Summer EBT program which helps families buy food during the summer months when school is not in session. Eligible families receive $120 per eligible child to purchase groceries, with funds placed on an EBT card. To learn more about Summer EBT, visit https://cdhs.colorado.gov/summer-ebt.
Finding a meal site is easy—just visit www.kidsfoodfinder.org.
Summer meals are free, healthy, and available to all kids and teens. No sign-up. No ID. Just food.
About the Summer Meals Program:
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Meals are free to all kids and teens 18 years and younger. In rural locations, some meals may be taken home to eat.
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Parents do not need to apply to the program for their children to get free summer meals.
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Organizations that can administer the Summer Meals Program include schools, non-profit organizations, government entities, camps, universities, and community and faith-based organizations.
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Families can find summer meal sites by visiting www.kidsfoodfinder.org.
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Meals served follow USDA nutrition guidelines.
About the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer Program:
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Summer EBT provides $120 per eligible school-aged child to buy groceries.
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Funds to purchase groceries are placed on EBT cards.
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The program is led by the Colorado Department of Human Services with support from CDE.
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To learn more about Summer EBT, visit https://cdhs.colorado.gov/summer-ebt.
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