FEEDING KIDS IN RURAL COMMUNITIES
Summer is a time for connection, exploration, and fun! Summer nutrition programs make sure children and young people have the nutrition they need to do just that. During the school year, meals are available to kids through school breakfast and lunch. But kids lose critical access to meals during the summer when schools are out. To fill this gap, many local schools and community organizations nationwide operate summer meal programs to provide meals to kids at no cost.
Together, rural non-congregate meals, Summer EBT, and traditional congregate meals form a Summer Meals program that can better combat summer hunger.
Also known as the “Rural Non-Congregate Summer Meals,” this summer meal service model provides meals to children to consume off site. Programs must be operated at sites designated “rural” with no congregate meal service. See the USDA rural designation map and No Kid Hungry’s Summer Eligibility Map, and check if you have an eligible site near you.
We are committed to supporting families and summer meals providers, and we have a number of resources available to make sure kids have access to the food they need to thrive. Here are some resources to help:
Planning Resources
This year-round planning calendar is designed to support a program planning and implementation timeline that maximizes sponsor capacity to operate a sustainable summer meals program.
This resource will help you make a preliminary assessment to determine community need and organizational capacity for a mobile meals solution in your community.
Delve into effective strategies for optimizing budgets, leveraging community partnerships, and staffing solutions to ensure seamless operations and maximum impact in feeding children during the summer months.
This resource will explain how to start your own freeze and thaw program and tips and tricks to make it successful.
Implementation Resources
No Kid Hungry conducted site observations at three different sites, each of which operated a different non-congregate model (grab-and-go, mobile meals, and delivery). Interviews with caregivers surfaced many recommendations for participant-centered summer non-congregate meal programs.
No Kid Hungry awarded five summer non-congregate meal sponsors across the country funding to hire high school and college student workers for their summer 2024 operations. The sponsors utilized these workers to prep, pack, and distribute meals; survey families in person during pick-up; develop online surveys; create marketing materials; and help manage operations.
Elevate your summer meal program’s reach and impact by watching our webinar! Gain invaluable insights into targeted marketing techniques designed to drive increased participation and ensure no child goes hungry during the summer break. From tailored outreach to social media utilization and community engagement, learn how to effectively promote your program and make a lasting difference in your community.
Learn how three summer meals sponsors incorporate site, community, and kid’s feedback to improve their programs.
Be inspired by our 2024 No Kid Hungry CA’s Summer Spotlight Series which features six tenacious partners who weathered extreme heat and drove long distances to get food to kids.
Val Verde Unified School District (Riverside County)
Ocean View School District (Ventura County)
Redwood Empire Food Bank (Sonoma County)
Morongo Unified School District (San Bernardino County)
Feeding San Diego (San Diego County)
Lodi Unified School District (San Joaquin County)
At No Kid Hungry California, we are grateful to our meal sponsors and providers across the state for making sure that kids have access to nutritious meals all summer long. For even more resources to help support your summer meals program, or to become a sponsor yourself, check out our Center for Best Practices Resource Library. If you need help implementing a summer meals program, or are looking for guidance or support, stay tuned!
Last updated: January 24, 2025