Summer can be a tough time for families. When schools close, many children no longer have access to the free or reduced-price meals they rely on during the year.
Every summer, as part of Utah Food Bank's Kids Cafe Program, they offer free summer meals at a variety of locations across the state.
Ginette Bott, President & CEO, says this year they plan to serve close to 150,000 meals through 64 sites by the time the program finishes in mid-August.
Utah Food Bank is the only Feeding America affiliate in Utah, a national organization that serves as an overarching umbrella for food banks across the nation.
Ginette says, "Through generous donations of food time and money last year, we were able to distribute just over 67.3 million pounds of food, the equivalent of 56.1 million meals, to Utahns facing hunger statewide."
That's important because approximately 289,000 Utahns, and 1 in 9 Utah children, are at risk of missing a meal today. That equates to nine percent of our population.
If you or someone you know is looking for free summer meals, text the word FOOD to 304-304 to access information for all of the Summer Food Service Program sites in your area. We are one of a handful of organizations offering these meals.
Further information can be found at UtahFoodBank.org/summer.
