NJ kicks off free summer meal program for students
Students who qualify for free or reduced price lunches in New Jersey will have access to meals all summer thanks to the New Jersey Department of Agriculture's Summer Food Service Program.
The state has established 1,000 feeding sites which will serve more than 76,000 children daily. The federally-funded program reimburses participating organizations for meals served to children who live in areas in which at least 50 percent qualify for free or reduced-price meals under the National School Lunch Program. Most of the organizations will be reimbursed for up to two meals a day, lunch and either breakfast or a snack.
"Hunger doesn't end at the end of the school year," said New Jersey Agriculture Secretary Douglas Fisher. "There are many students across the state who would find themselves without adequate nutrition if we didn't have this program in place."
To learn more about the Summer Food Service Program or to find a feeding site near you, call the National Hunger Hotline at 1-866-3-HUNGRY or text the word FOOD to 877-877.