As school lets out for the summer, families’ thoughts turn to vacations, outdoor activities, and picnics, but for some, there is also thoughts of how to feed their family. For those families taking part in the free and reduced lunch program, the end of the school year means the end of the ten meals per week that their child had at school. Summer food programs can help fill that need.

More than 1,000 summer meal sites are available in Illinois this summer, funded through the US Department of Agriculture and administered by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). Some are specific to children signed up for a summer program, while others are open to all children under 18. Despite the large number of participating sites across the state, 33 Illinois counties have no summer meal sites.

Your PTA can help spread the word on summer meal sites by sharing information with families from the Summer Feeding Illinois website. There you will find information videos, resources, and more about the program. Families can also find a summer meals site near them by:

Share these resources with your families. No child should go hungry in Illinois this summer.