SALT LAKE COUNTY, Utah -- School is out for summer, but hunger does not take a vacation.
Children that rely on free or reduced school lunch may not get enough to eat during the summer months, and this week kicks off the state’s summer food service program.
“Young children who live in poverty don’t always know where their next meal is going to come,” said McKell Withers, who is the superintendent of Salt Lake County School District.
That’s why Utahns Against Hunger and several other agencies are working together to provide free meals to children during the summer months. No enrollment or paperwork, just come and eat. This year a new location is being added to the programs list of sites: the Salt Lake City Library.
“A lot of families rely on school meals, and when school gets out they lose access to that meal and the average family food budget increases by $300 per month and the summer food program fills that gap,” said Marti Woolford, an outreach coordinator and child nutrition advocate.
The Salt Lake City Library will be the first library in the state to join the partnership. With the addition of the Salt Lake City library there are now 200 sites for the summer food program. You can find the location nearest you by clicking here.
