No Kid Hungry- If You Know a Child Who Will Miss Meals This Summer Due to Summer Vacation from School

With summer recess from school upon us, some children who rely on school lunch and breakfast programs may be in a situation where they miss one or more meals during the day. If you know about a school-age student who will be in need of breakfast and lunch over summer vacation, text "FOOD" to 877877 and you'll receive a message indicating where they can go to get free summer meals. Thanks to my friend and colleague Kay Randall for informing me about this program. -Dr. Petrosino  

This is a nationwide program - if you want to repost, it should work for anybody, anywhere.

This is a real phone number, a real program, and an accurate message. The text information service is run by No Kid Hungry, an initiative of the non-profit organization Share Our Strength.

No Kid Hungry has access to information about tens of thousands of groups serving free meals nationwide as part of the the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Summer Food Service Program.

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Once the free meal providers register with the USDA, No Kid Hungry makes their location and hours available to the public via the 877-877 number. To use the service, text “FOOD” to 877-877 and enter your zip code when prompted. Spanish-speakers can also text “COMIDA” to 877-877.

You can also locate registered, licensed free meal providers using this interactive map on the USDA website.

Unfortunately, your nearest free meal provider may not be in your town. This is because, by law, sites are only allowed in areas where 50% of schoolchildren or more are eligible for free or low-cost school meals, according to the USDA. You can check whether your local area is eligible to host a Summer Food Service Program site, using this map.