5 Places Offering Free Summer Meals And Food Donations For GA Students

GEORGIA — Though the final school bell has rung for Georgia students, some programs will be working through the summer to provide free meals for students.

See the following places where your student can get a free meal and food donation during the summer.

Happy Helpings, Georgia’s Summer Food Service Program, is offering to provide nutritious meals for students in Cobb County.

Three Cobb libraries are partnering with Helping Hands on weekdays in June and July to provide food to students ages 18 and younger. This is the fourth year the Cobb County Public Library and Georgia Educational Resources Inc. have linked for the free summer meal service, according to the county.

"Adults 19 years and older who are enrolled in school programs for persons with disabilities will also receive meals. Parents and caregivers must remain with the children during the meals," county officials said.

Unlike in 2022 when drive-through service was initiated, the program will be offering a sit-down breakfast and lunch this summer.

County officials said the meals will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last on the following locations and dates, excluding the week July 3-7:

• North Cobb Regional Library, 3535 Old 41 Highway in Kennesaw: Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays on June 5-July 28: 10-10:30 a.m. breakfast and 11:30 a.m.-noon lunch; (770) 801-5320

• South Cobb Regional Library, 805 Clay Road in Mableton: Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays on June 5-July 28, 10-10:30 a.m. breakfast, 11:30 a.m.-noon lunch; (678) 398-5828

• Charles D. Switzer Library, 266 Roswell St. in Marietta: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays on June 6-July 27, 9:30-10 a.m. breakfast, 11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m. lunch; (770) 528-2320.

MUST Ministries began distributing food donations Thursday at various sites.

The organization is partnering with churches, schools, corporations and volunteers with plans to feed thousands of students in metro Atlanta, according to its website.

to feed thousands of kids in the metro-Atlanta area all summer. MUST's goal is to provide breakfast and lunch to at least 6000 children for 9 weeks.

For nine weeks, and a goal to feed at least 6,000 children, MUST Ministries will serve an estimated 540,000 meals Bartow, Cobb, Cherokee, Douglas, Fulton, Paulding, Pickens and Gwinnett counties. Additionally, MUST will also have mind, body and soul activity kits, organizers said.

Summer lunch will run from June 1 - July 29. A 12-ounce or 16-ounce jar of peanut butter, a 12-ounce or 16-ounce jar of jelly, 8-ounce bottles of water, pop tarts, breakfast bars, noodle bowls and Capri Sun juice boxes are items included in the food donations.

A complete list of MUST Ministries 2023 donation sites are here.

Feeding America provides on its website a compilation of national food banks offering food assistance, including the Atlanta Community Food Bank.

An interactive map shows food pantries in a plethora of metro Atlanta communities. Hours of operation varies by location. Families can enter their addresses to find a pantry near them.

Other ways to find a meal site are by texting the word FOOD to 304-304 and by calling the U.S. Department of Agriculture hotline at 1 (866) 348-6479

According to the Feeding America website, more than 24 million meals were served in summer 2022 through the Backpack Program, School Pantry Program and summer feeding sites.

The summer food service programs are free to use for kids and teens up to 18-years-old.

Like Feeding America, the USDA Food and Nutrition Service features an interactive map for summer meal sites.

The finder has data for 35 states total, including in Georgia. Featured locations can be found in several metro Atlanta cities. Hours of operation and end dates vary.

"USDA works closely with states to ensure that children who receive free or reduced-price school meals can get the nutrition they need when schools are closed – whether during summer break or unexpected closures during the school year. Through USDA's summer meal programs, approved sites in communities across the country can serve meals to kids up to age 18 at no cost," read the USDA website.

Several Fulton County schools will provide summer meals from June 5-July 7 via the Fulton County School Nutrition Program.

"Students attending face-to-face summer school or pre-kindergarten will be offered free breakfast and lunch meals during their school’s scheduled mealtimes. The Fulton County School Nutrition Program will also provide meal service for children in the community," school officials said on the school system's website.

Recipients must be 18-years-old or younger; they can also be younger than 21 if they are considered to have special needs.

Children do not need to be enrolled in Fulton County Schools to participate, school officials said.

The school system features digital menus and a complete list of participating schools on its website. Hours of operation vary. All sites will be closed on June 19 and July 4.

Community feeding locations are as follows:

• Hills at Greenbriar, 2909 Campbellton Road in Atlanta: 11-11:20 a.m., June 7-July 7
• Elite at Lakeview, 3200 Lakeview Place in East Point: 11:45 a.m.-noon, June 7-July 7
• Embarcadero Club Apartments, 2210 Sullivan Road in College Park: 12:20-12:45 p.m., June 7 – July 7
• Hurd Home Apartments, 3022 Randall St. in East Point: 10:15-10:45 a.m., June 8 – June 30