Find a program / Free summer meals for kids
Summer 2026 sites (last summer)
Free summer meals for kids
43,891 free summer meal sites that states reported to USDA for summer 2026, by state and city: who sponsors each site, where it is, and the dates and meal times it published. USDA says meals and snacks are free to children 18 and younger; ask the site about adults.
These are last summer's sites
Need food for your kids now? Call the USDA National Hunger Hotline at 1-866-3-HUNGRY (1-866-348-6479), Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern, or check the official USDA Summer Meals Site Finder. The list below is the summer 2026 season, which ended on September 30, 2026. These sites are not listed as open now, and the dates and meal times are from last summer, not a schedule for this year or next summer. Sites for the next summer are usually announced in the spring.
By state
SUN Bucks (Summer EBT) by state
SUN Bucks is a separate USDA program that gives eligible families a benefit on a card to buy food while school is out. USDA's participation map for 2026 (updated August 14, 2026) showed:
Participating (38 states and DC): Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming.
Not statewide, but some Tribal Nations took part: Oklahoma.
Not participating (11 states): Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah.
USDA's Summer EBT participation page has the current list and how to apply. States decide again each year.
Questions families ask
Who can eat at a summer meal site?
USDA says its summer meal programs serve meals and snacks at no cost to children 18 and younger. Sites marked "Open to all kids" are open sites in USDA's data, meaning they welcome children from the community. Sites marked "Open with limits" are open to the community but can limit who attends, for example for safety or space. Hours change, so call the site before you go.
What does "Eat on-site" or "Meals to go" mean?
Eat on-site means meals and snacks are eaten at the site. Meals to go means they can be picked up and eaten somewhere else; some sites hand out more than one day at a time.
When are summer 2027 sites announced?
Sites for the next summer are usually announced in the spring, after sponsors apply to their state agencies. Until then this page shows last summer's list as a guide to which towns and sponsors ran sites. The official place to look is the USDA Summer Meals Site Finder.
Is this the same as SUN Bucks?
No. SUN Bucks, also called Summer EBT, is a separate USDA program that gives eligible families a benefit on a card. Summer meal sites serve meals to kids directly. Your state may offer one, both or neither.
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Run a summer program?
BackPR is a software company and does not run these meal sites. It is free for registered nonprofits: online registration, payments, waivers, attendance and messages to families. No subscription and no BackPR fee on what families pay.
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