By Stephanie Nguyen
The Summer Food Service Program is a federally funded effort to distribute meals to kids in need who are 18 and under during summer break. Applications opened in February to schools, camps, nonprofits, tribal governments and government agencies interested in becoming an operator to distribute the food. In a press release from the California Department of Education, the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tony Thurmond, said the program served an estimated 15 million meals last summer.
“Our Summer Meal Programs are a vital support for our students and families, making sure that California children have the nutrition that they need to learn and thrive year-round,” Thurmond said. “I am grateful for our partnerships with the many local community organizations that apply and serve as Summer Meal Program operators.”
Because applications are pending, participating sites are yet to be determined, but those interested have until May 15 or thirty days prior to the first service day, whichever comes first. Meal availability would depend on which category the site falls under. For example, if it is an open site, the meals are available to anyone that falls within the eligible age limits. There may be restrictions on taking the meals to-go, but generally no paperwork or ID is required according to the press release. A closed enrolled site, on the other hand, is reserved for children enrolled with the facility. Typically these are schools and summer educational programs that intend to serve participating students only.
The press release also said that meals will comply with the recent USDA nutritional guidelines, which emphasize protein, full-fat dairy, vegetables, fruits and whole grains with limited portions of processed foods but received mixed feedback due to the release of the reversed food pyramid. However, Nicholas Filipas, a Public Information Officer from the department’s public relations team, has responded via email that the new milk requirements are only in effect for the National School Lunch Program at this time.
To help interested children and/or their families find participating locations, the department has developed an app called CA Meals for Kids that will use a device’s location to search for nearby facilities that will be operating once the program reopens for the summer of 2026.
