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Photos by Channing Johnson

Summer Meals

No-Cost Meals for All Kids, All Summer

The CT Summer Meals Program is federally funded by and a part of the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) SUN Programs, intended to feed and nourish kids during the summer. CT Summer Meals is state-administered by the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE). The program provides free, nutritious meals to kids during summer break. Summer Meals meet federal nutrition guidelines and are composed of milk, fruits, vegetables, grains, and meat or another protein. Summer Meals are offered at hundreds of sites around the state from June to late August, serving combinations of breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. Meals are free to any child age 18-and-under, no questions asked. Want to help us spread the word? Download our brand guide or contact us here.

Check out our free, downloadable materials for promoting CT Summer Meals below:

DOWNLOAD FLYERS, POSTCARDS, BOOKMARKS, AND MORE
add a web button linked to the map to your website
DOWNLOAD FREE ACTIVITY PAGES FOR KIDS
DOWNLOAD FREE COLORING PAGES FOR KIDS
DOWNLOAD OUR CT SUMMER MEALS BRAND GUIDE
DOWNLOAD OUR VIRTUAL CT SUMMER MEALS TOOLKIT

Voiceover: Bobby Olejarczyk & Tony Cruise, 2022 CT Summer Meals VISTA Interns

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2024 SUMMER MEALS FOR KIDS SITE FINDER MAP

CT Summer Meals is a federal SUN Program of the USDA. The map below, powered by USDA, will help you find information about meal sites near you.

Please note that this is a nationwide map controlled by the USDA. If Connecticut sites or a site in your city/town does not yet appear on the map, please check back often. The USDA currently updates the site finder with new state submissions every Friday throughout the summer. Information is updated regularly during the summer months and stops when the program ends in late August. Learn more >

Enter your address in the search box on the map to find a location near you. ↴

Click on a map icon for more information. You can also turn the “Eat-On-Site” and “Meals-To-Go” buttons off/on to show where meals must be eaten at the sites, and where meals are offered to take home.

NOTE: This is a nationwide map – make sure you’re typing in a Connecticut address!

Learn more/report a map problem: USDA Summer Meals Site Finder.

Learn more/report a map problem: USDA Summer Meals Site Finder.

GET INVOLVED WITH CT SUMMER MEALS

HOW CAN I PARTICIPATE IN CT SUMMER MEALS OUTREACH?

We need YOU to help us spread the word about CT Summer Meals! From volunteer opportunities, to distributing resources, to sharing information with networks online and more, we need all hands on deck to reach children & families about this crucial program. Download our brand guide here.

Frequently Asked Questions

CT Summer Meals is a program federally funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and administered by the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE). It provides children and teens 18 years-old and under with nutritious meals during the summer at no-cost, no ID required or questions asked, as well as people under 21 older with disabilities participating in an eligible state education program. Meal sites can be found all over Connecticut from now to August while school is out. The program typically distributes more than 1.75 million meals to over 37,000 children at over 600 locations statewide, according to data from the CSDE. CT Summer Meals is federally-funded and part of the USDA’s SUN Programs: Summer Nutrition Programs for Kids.

You can find your nearest open meal site by using our meal site locator map. Just scroll down the page until you see the map, enter your location, and find what meal sites are near you! The map is updated regularly throughout the summer from late June to mid August, so check back regularly for sites near you.

No, End Hunger CT! does not provide meals directly. EHC!’s focus is outreach and spreading awareness for food assistance programs such as CT Summer Meals. While EHC! does not directly provide food, we help Connecticut residents find and access food assistance programs near them! End Hunger CT! Is able to provide statewide outreach – including our Meal Site Locator Map at ctsummermeals.org – for the CT Summer Meals program in partnership with Connecticut Foodshare and the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE).

No, ANY Connecticut child can pick up a meal regardless of a family’s situation. While this program does help fight childhood hunger and food insecurity while school is out, it is available to all children 18 and under and people with disabilities 21 and under participating in an eligible state education program, no questions asked, regardless of socioeconomic status. We want to encourage all children to come!

No – children do not have to be accompanied by an adult in order to receive a meal.

No ID is needed at any of the meal sites! The meal sites offer no-cost meals to children 18 and under and people with disabilities under 21 participating in an eligible state education program no questions asked. On our website at ctsummermeals.org, we have a Meal Site Locator Map that includes all the open meal sites (“open” meaning open to the public) where children can easily get a meal no questions asked, no ID needed, and regardless of whether they live in that town.

No sign-up is necessary for the CT Summer Meals program. Simply take your child/children to an open meal site near you and receive a meal for your child/children at no cost, no questions asked!

As of Summer 2023, children must eat on-site via USDA regulations at most meal site locations. The one exception is at meal sites that are deemed Rural Non-Congregate (the purple pins on our map at ctsummermeals.org); only these sites are allowed to offer grab and go meals that do not need to be consumed onsite starting Summer 2023.

You can go and receive a meal from a CT Summer Meals site for your child daily if you would like to, no questions asked. Some sites serve a combination of breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.

Unfortunately, no, the CT Summer Meals program is only intended for children 18 and under and those under 21 with disabilities participating in an eligible state education program. Food resources for adults can be found by calling 211 or visiting 211ct.org.

End Hunger CT! Is not involved in the meal site application or approval process. Agencies interested in becoming a summer meals site should reach out to the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) directly for information.

If you’re an agency or organization that works with kids and/or families, you can reach out to us at childnutrition@endhungerct.org to request printed materials. Our Social Media Toolkit is also available at ctsummermeals.org to help you create content to post on social media that fits our brand identity. Lastly, word of mouth is a very powerful tool, so if you know anyone that would benefit from the CT Summer Meals program or would be a good partner, we encourage you to let them know about ctsummermeals.org!