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IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 26, 2023
No-Cost Meal Sites Open to Connecticut’s Children
CT Summer Meals Site Locator Map is Now Available
Conn. –The Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE), Connecticut Foodshare and End Hunger Connecticut! (EHC!) are pleased to announce a partnership in outreach for the 2023 CT Summer Meals season. In part to that partnership, EHC!’s Summer Meals Site Locator Map is now updated with hundreds of locations, and is updated weekly with additional sites, serving summer meals around the state at no cost to families. Children and teens 18 and-under – as well as individuals with disabilities 18 and-older enrolled in an eligible state education program – can receive no-cost, nutritious meals all summer long, no questions asked. EHC!’s Summer Meals Site Locator Map, which allows residents to find a site closest to them, is operated in partnership with EHC!, CSDE, and Connecticut Foodshare.
When schools are closed, millions of children in low-income households across the country lose access to the school meals provided through the National School Lunch Program. Summer Meals Programs help fill this gap by providing free meals and snacks to children who might otherwise go hungry. These programs are funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and administered by state agencies. This year, meal sites return to pre-pandemic operations and all meals will have to be consumed onsite, except for at eligible areas determined as “rural” by the USDA definition, which can now serve non-congregate meals in those areas. Rural Non-congregate sites are marked with purple pins on EHC!’s Meal Site Locator Map.
“Ensuring access to nutritious meals over the summer months is critical to students’ health and development so they are ready to learn when school resumes in the fall,” said Connecticut Education Commissioner Charlene Russell-Tucker. “With hundreds of sites across the state, the Summer Meal Locator Map is a reliable tool to let families know precisely where they can access meals for every child in their household.”
According to the national Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), summer nutrition programs are integral to children’s overall health across the country. In FRAC’s most recent national Summer Meals Report, it cited that almost 3 million children participated in the Summer Nutrition Programs on an average weekday in July 2022, which included an increase of over 201,000 additional children receiving a summer lunch compared to July 2019 (the last summer prior to the COVID-19 pandemic).
“Each year we see food insecurity increase significantly during the summer months when children lose access to the meals they received during the school year- that loss puts a strain not only on the children but all of the people in their household,” said Connecticut Foodshare President & CEO Jason Jakubowski. “The USDA’s Summer Meal Program helps to alleviate that pressure. We’re so grateful for the vision of the Connecticut Department of Education to explore a creative approach to this program to expand access and awareness, and hopefully get more children fed this summer.”
In a typical summer, CSDE reports that the CT Summer Meals program distributes more than 1.75 million meals to over 37,000 children aged 18 years and younger, at 650-700 locations across Connecticut.
“Just like a hungry child cannot learn in school, a hungry child cannot play in the summer,” said EHC! Executive Director Julieth Callejas. “In this new post-pandemic era with so many critical supports having phased out while inflation continues to rise, there has never been a more important time to make sure families know about the CT Summer Meals sites available to their children.”
Families can find locations across Connecticut where children and teens 18 and-under – as well as individuals with disabilities 18 and-older enrolled in an eligible state education program – can eat no-cost, healthy meals all summer long by calling 211, texting “Summer Meals” to 914-342-7744, or by visiting www.ctsummermeals.org. Follow @ctsummermeals on all social media platforms for the latest updates on CT Summer Meals.
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Media contact:
Kimberly Nguyen
knguyen@endhungerct.org | 475-330-4040
Communications Coordinator, End Hunger Connecticut!
About us: End Hunger CT! works statewide to eliminate hunger and promote healthy nutrition through outreach, public education, and advocacy. EHC! offers SNAP assistance, nutrition program promotion, doubles SNAP at farmers’ markets, and more to help CT residents in need. To learn more about our services, click here.
Have any questions? Contact our Communications Coordinator, Kimberly Nguyen, at knguyen@endhungerct.org.
