USDA Provides Daily Meals to 2.7 Million Children

(WASHINGTON, DC) In 2018, USDA’s Summer Food Service Program provided meals daily to approximately 2.7 million children in July, the peak month for program operations. Meals were served at nearly 50 thousand sites that are eligible to offer free USDA-funded meals and snacks. To qualify, the sites must operate in areas where at least half of the children come from families with incomes at or below 185 percent of the Federal poverty level. Schools, libraries, camps, parks, playgrounds, housing projects, community centers, churches, and other public locations where children gather in the summer may qualify as USDA-approved sites. Enrichment activities are often offered along with the meals and snacks. Many low-income children also obtain free meals while school is out through the Seamless Summer Option of the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs.