Salem Schools Awarded $13K For Summer Eats Program

SALEM, MA — Salem Public Schools was awarded more than $13,000 of the $535,000 in state grants to organizations providing meals to students outside of school this summer.

The Salem Summer Eats program provides to-go meals and other activities throughout the city from late June through August. It is open to all youth ages 18 and younger.

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The funding follows the administration’s call for more organizations to sponsor Summer Eats sites and is intended to support additional meal locations and expanded food access for children.

"We are making sure that no child in Massachusetts goes hungry during the summer months," said Gov. Maura Healey. "As families face rising grocery costs and federal cuts to food assistance, programs like Summer Eats are more important than ever. These grants will help expand access to free, healthy meals so kids can stay nourished, active and ready to learn all summer long.

"We're grateful to the organizations across Massachusetts stepping up to make sure kids have access to healthy meals all summer long."

Summer Eats, formally known as the Summer Food Service Food Program, is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education administers the program and provides sponsors with technical support.

Project Bread's Child Nutrition Outreach Program provides outreach assistance.

"We know that families' grocery bills increase in the summer when kids do not have access to school meals. With federal cuts to SNAP benefits and rising food insecurity, access to programs like Summer Eats has never been more important," state Secretary of Education Steve Zrike said. "I am pleased we are able to offer this funding, helping expand healthy food access for kids during summer months across the state."

Last summer, an average of 59,000 kids received a meal daily at a Summer Eats site, and 2.5 million meals were served.

Families can find meal sites during the summer through Project Bread’s website.

For more information about Summer Eats, including how to become a site sponsor, Project Bread can be reached at 617-723-5000.