FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 25, 2025
Contact: Kayla McCullough / kmccullough@rubenstein.com
RURAL NY FAMILIES HAVE MORE OPTIONS TO GET FREE SUMMER MEALS FOR KIDS WITH NEW COMMUNITY GRANTS FROM NO KID HUNGRY
$200K in new grants from No Kid Hungry will help schools and community groups in rural towns across New York reach more kids this summer.
NEW YORK, NY: No Kid Hungry New York today announced over $205,000 in grants to help 16 public school districts and community organizations in rural areas across upstate and western New York provide more kids with free, nutritious meals all summer long. The new funding takes aim at key barriers that have kept families from utilizing free summer meals in the past by providing grab-n-go meal options, home-delivery, expanding hours, and opening new convenient locations.
This effort comes as a recent No Kid Hungry poll found more than half of New York families took on added household debt to pay for food over the past year, with 86 percent of families in rural areas reporting the cost of food rising faster than their incomes–a higher rate than in either urban or suburban communities. Food insecurity spikes every summer, as kids lose access to no-cost and low-cost school meals.
Summer hunger is especially prevalent in rural communities, where it can be difficult to reach a summer meal site offering free meals. A recent federal policy now allows rural meal programs the flexibility to offer free summer meals in ways that reach more kids. More than 2,500 sites will be open across New York this summer. Anyone age 18 and under is eligible. No registration, documentation, or ID is necessary to receive a meal.
“Too many children in rural New York face hunger when school is out for the summer, and kids miss out on vital nutrition,” said Rachel Sabella, director of No Kid Hungry New York. “Our latest community grants will empower school districts and local organizations to innovate and expand so that families across the state will have more options to find a program that works for them.”
Recipients of No Kid Hungry New York’s 2025 Summer Grants:
Western New York:
o Cassadaga Valley Central School District will serve kids eat-in meals Monday-Thursday and take-home weekend meals (three days of bulk meals) to students enrolled in summer programming. Those not enrolled in programming can participate in bulk meal distributions every Wednesday. The program will also offer bulk meal distributions every Thursday for a neighboring district.
o Chautauqua Opportunities will provide breakfast and lunch at both eat-in and grab-n-go sites throughout Chautauqua County daily.
o Jamestown YMCA will serve grab-n-go lunches and next-day breakfasts in Jamestown and surrounding rural communities, Monday through Friday.
o Le Roy Central School District will distribute multi-day grab-n-go meals on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
o Pine Valley Central School District will serve daily eat-in meals to students enrolled in summer programming. Those not enrolled in programming can access multi-day grab-n-go meals on Mondays and Thursdays at three community sites.
o Pioneer Central School District will distribute eat-in meals Monday through Thursday alongside summer programming/summer school. Grab-n-go weekend meals will be distributed every Thursday evening.
o Salamanca City Central School District will distribute daily eat-in and grab-n-go meals at two summer meal sites.
o Wellsville Central School District will distribute daily grab-n-go meals at two schools.
North Country:
o Edwards Knox Central School District will serve daily sit-down meals and take-home weekend meals while education programs are in session. In August, the program will distribute seven days of meals every Tuesday.
o Moriah Central School District will offer bulk meal distributions every Friday.
o Plattsburgh Central School District will provide bulk meal distributions every Wednesday.
o Peru Central School District will offer bulk meal distributions every Tuesday.
Rochester/ Finger Lakes:
o Clyde-Savannah Central School District will provide eat-in meals at two school sites in Clyde. Five days of bulk meals will be delivered to families in both Clyde and Savannah.
o Lyons Central School District will deliver seven days of meals directly to the homes of kids unable to access eat-in meals at their school site.
Albany/ Capital Region:
o Whitehall Central School District will deliver meals to homes twice a week (Monday and Wednesday).
o Hartford Central School District will deliver meals to homes twice a week (Monday and Wednesday).
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About No Kid Hungry
No child should go hungry in America. But millions of kids could face hunger this year. No Kid Hungry is working to end childhood hunger by helping launch and improve programs that give all kids the healthy food they need to thrive. This is a problem we know how to solve. No Kid Hungry is a campaign of Share Our Strength, an organization committed to ending hunger and poverty. Join us at NoKidHungry.org
