The summer meals program has returned to serve students across the Inland Empire.
Meals are being offered at schools, parks, libraries and community centers in Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
The free Summer Food Service Program, sponsored by Rialto Unified School District, offers free meals to children at Frisbie Park on Friday, June 7, 2024. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG)
Tracie Vetere, of Peterson Farms Fresh, hands out apples Friday, June 7, 2024, at Frisbie Park for the free Summer Food Service Program sponsored by the Rialto Unified School District. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG)
Rialto school board President Joseph Martinez is seen Friday, June 7, 2024, with dancer Aaliyah Laranas, 8, during the Summer Food Service Program event at Frisbie Park. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG)
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Luz Ochoa, of Xiuh Arte Azteca-Chichimeca, performs an Indigenous dance Friday, June 7, 2024, at the Summer Food Service Program sponsored by the Rialto Unified School District at Frisbie Park. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG)
Families eat together on the grass of Frisbie Park in Rialto on Friday, June 7, 2024, during the Rialto Unified School District’s Summer Food Service Program. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG)
A line for free lunches forms Friday, June 7, 2024, for the Summer Food Service Program sponsored by the Rialto Unified School District at Frisbie Park. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG)
Julia Monheny enjoys her lunch Friday, June 7, 2024, during a Summer Food Service Program event sponsored by the Rialto Unified School District at Frisbie Park. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG)
Breanna Perez, 3, looks at the free carrots in front of her Friday, June 7, 2024, during a Summer Food Service Program event sponsored by the Rialto Unified School District at Frisbie Park. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG)
Luz Ochoa, of Xiuh Arte Azteca-Chichimeca, performs an Indigenous dance Friday, June 7, 2024, at a Summer Food Service Program event sponsored by the Rialto Unified School District at Frisbie Park. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG)
Juanita Chan-Roden paints 10-year-old Ellie Mendez’s, face during a Summer Food Service Program event sponsored by the Rialto Unified School District at Frisbie Park on Friday, June 7, 2024. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG)
At a Summer Food Service Program event sponsored by the Rialto Unified School District, employees from Rialto Nutrition grill corn for lunch at Frisbie Park on Friday, June 7, 2024. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG)
A line for free lunches forms Friday, June 7, 2024, for the Summer Food Service Program sponsored by the Rialto Unified School District at Frisbie Park. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG)
The Summer Food Service Program, sponsored by the Rialto Unified School District, offers free meals at Frisbie Park on Friday, June 7, 2024. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG)
Edgar Montes, vice president of the Rialto school board, dons a floral arrangement during a Friday, June 7, 2024, event at Frisbie Park. The event was sponsored by the Rialto Unified School District to promote the Summer Food Service Program. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG)
The Summer Food Service Program, sponsored by the Rialto Unified School District, offers free meals at Frisbie Park on Friday, June 7, 2024. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG)
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Thousands of lunches will be distributed to kids who are 18 years old or younger under the federal Nutrition and Wellness Services program. Some sites also feature activities for the youths.
The meals already have begun.
For example, the Rialto Unified School District began serving Monday, June 3. It held a kick-off barbecue Friday, June 7, in Frisbee Park that included games and other activities.
To find a summer meal site, parents can call 2-1-1, text “FOOD” or “comida” to 304-304, or download the CA Meals for Kids App.
Also, a new federal food program is debuting this month in an effort to reduce childhood hunger in the summer.
The SUN Bucks program, also known as Summer EBT, automatically enrolls children who qualify for free or discounted school meals or those who receive CalFresh, CalWORKS or Medi-Cal benefits. Beginning this month, families can get $40 per month for food for each qualifying child in June, July and August — for a total of $120 per child — through an electronic benefits card, the U.S Department of Agriculture’s website states.
Those who are not automatically enrolled must complete a school lunch program application or alternative income form by Aug. 31.
For information on the SUN Bucks program, visit cdss.ca.gov/sun-bucks.
