Summer Meals Are Growing Across Georgia: Meet the Sponsors Expanding Access for Kids This Year

Summer should be a time for kids to learn, play, and enjoy their break from school. But for many families across Georgia, summer can also bring challenges when school meals are no longer available.

That’s why No Kid Hungry Georgia is working alongside local schools and community organizations to help ensure children continue to have access to healthy meals throughout the summer months. 

This year, No Kid Hungry Georgia is supporting 13 summer meal sponsors with over $244,616 in grant funds as they expand rural non-congregate summer meal service in communities across the state. These sponsors are helping reach more children in rural areas through innovative approaches such as additional grab-and-go meal distributions, extended meal delivery routes, and multi-day meal pickups that make it easier for families to access food where they live.

The following organizations are receiving support this year:

• Appling County 
• BOLD Ministries 
• Brantley County 
• Cartersville City School District
• Hall County School Nutrition 
• Heard County Schools 
• John W. Williams Corporation 
• Newton County Schools 
• Polk School District
• Richmond County School System 
• The Black Lotus Project Inc. 
• Turner County School District
• YMCA of Rome and Floyd County

While every community’s approach looks different, each sponsor shares the same goal: making sure more kids have access to nutritious meals all summer long.

See How Sponsors Are Expanding Summer Meals This Year

Across Georgia, our grantees are finding new ways to reach more children, serve additional communities, and strengthen existing programs. Here are just a few examples of what that expansion looks like this summer.

Appling County Schools

Appling County is a returning summer meals sponsor that is significantly expanding its rural non-congregate program by adding two new distribution sites. They are also extending operations by two additional weeks and increasing meal distributions from five to seven days’ worth of meals at a time. This expanded program will serve families through six curbside distribution sites and one hybrid site that will provide congregate meals alongside weekend meal packs.

To support this amount of growth, the district is investing in equipment such as platform trucks, mobile shelves, drum fans, box tapers, and marketing materials. Appling County is also innovating and investing in student workers to play a key role in supporting summer meal distribution.

BOLD Ministries

BOLD Ministries is a first time rural non-congregate sponsor working to increase access for children across 10 sites in Newton, Clarke, and Henry county. This summer, families will be able to access multiple days’ worth of meals through both site-based pickup and mobile meal routes, with distributions occurring throughout the week to ensure children will have consistent access to meals every day.

BOLD Ministries is investing in a vehicle that will be used to deliver meals across multiple counties. With plans to serve approximately 20,000 meals this summer, the program is building the infrastructure needed to reach children in communities where access to summer meals may otherwise be limited.

Cartersville City Schools

Another example of summer meal expansion is the work of Cartersville City Schools. Building on last year’s efforts, Cartersville City Schools is now expanding summer meals access by adding two new distribution sites, extending service hours, and incorporating home delivery for families facing transportation barriers. The program provides hot meals daily throughout the week, with weekend meals distributed in bulk to ensure children have access to nutritious food seven days a week.

A key component of the program’s expansion is its strong community partnerships. Cartersville City Schools is working closely with its transportation department to identify high need areas and target meal service where it is needed most. They are also partnering with Atlanta Community Food bank to offer drive-through food pantry distributions alongside meal service, helping families access additional meals during the summer. Cartersville City Schools is investing in carts, a rental van, marketing materials, and insulated bags to support this expansion.