The Maine Department of Education announced the return of Hot Lunch Summer, the state’s summer food service program which provides free meals to children beyond the school year. Meals are available at hundreds of sites across Maine and families can locate nearby meal opportunities on the Hot Lunch Summer website HotLunchSummer.com or by texting 'Summer Meals' to 914-342-7744. 

“Hot Lunch Summer ensures that Maine children can continue to access the healthy and nutritious meals they rely on during the school year,” said Maine Education Commissioner Pender Makin, in a news release. “No child should worry about going hungry when the school year ends, and we thank the schools and organizations that have stepped up to make the distribution of these meals possible.” 

Maine’s summer food service program is a U.S. Department of Agriculture program offered statewide in areas or at sites where more than 50 percent of the children are eligible for free or reduced meal benefits under the National School Lunch Program or where census track data supports the need. Free meals are provided to children 18 and younger at open meal sites. Eligible sponsoring organizations include schools, nonprofit residential summer camps, government agencies, and tax-exempt organizations including faith-based organizations. This year, rural meal sponsors may offer free meals offsite to further assist in reaching children who are unable to access congregate meal programs. 

The Maine DOE launched Hot Lunch Summer last year as a statewide ad campaign to raise awareness of summer meal options and clearly explain the logistics of where, when, and how Maine children and adolescents can access complementary meals. This year, the campaign focuses on reaching households through social media networks and includes an animated video to promote summer meal opportunities which you can view here. 

To find nearby summer meal sites, please visit www.HotLunchSummer.com or text “Summer Meals” to 914-342-7744.