Children who rely on free and reduced-priced meals at school will have access to meals all summer long, thanks to Three Square Food Bank and its program partners. The “Meet Up and Eat Up” program will provide free, nutritious summer meals May 28 through August 9. Meet Up and Eat Up encompasses the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and BackPack for Kids.
During the school year, more than 65 percent of Clark County School District (CCSD) students are eligible to receive free or reduced-price meals, which equates to more than 213,000 children. Every summer when school ends, thousands of kids are at risk of going hungry in Southern Nevada. Funded in part by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and administered by Nevada’s Department of Agriculture, Meet Up and Eat Up bridges the gap to prevent childhood hunger during the summer months.
Meet Up and Eat Up sites offer free, nutritious meals for children 18 years of age or younger and at more than 100 locations across the valley. Locations include parks and recreation centers, Boys & Girls Clubs, libraries, recreational centers and apartment complexes. Three Square will also provide meals to 22 additional apartment complexes using refrigerated vans to reach more than 1,000 kids per day. The menu includes 20 rotating meal varieties and sites may offer breakfast, lunch or both. Meals will be provided to all children without charge and are the same for all children regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability, and there will be no discrimination in the course of the meal service. Meals will be provided, on a first come, first served basis.
With the help of volunteers and partners, Three Square will pack approximately 40,000 summer meals between Monday and Friday each week during the summer.
For the fourth year, several Clark County schools will support summer feeding with meals provided by CCSD Food Service. The CCSD meal sites will give children a familiar space to Meet Up and Eat Up all summer long.
The BackPack for Kids meal program is also available during the summer, providing supplementary meals and snacks to sustain children through the weekend. BackPacks will be available at every open Three Square sponsored Meet Up and Eat Up location.
For a comprehensive list of locations, please visit freesummerfood.org.
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