Since 2023, the number of meals served through New York state’s Summer Food Service Program has increased.

That summer, 18,155,000 meals were served. That number rose to nearly 19,500,000 meals served last summer, according to numbers provided by the New York state Education Department.

What You Need To Know

  • The Summer Food Service Program helps provide free meals to kids across upstate New York in the summer

  • According to the New York State Education Department, the Summer Food Service Program is funded by the USDA and then administered by NYSED

  • Oneida Herkimer Madison BOCES and the Rome City School District are two of many entities that use these funds to supply area kids with meals

So many kitchens are busy this time of year, helping to meet that need.

“We have outside play. We do paint, we do arts, we do crafts,” said Amie Robinson. She is the camp director of the Town of Ohio Summer Youth Program in Herkimer County.

“I think we’re farther out in the community. So it’s harder for parents to get to the grocery stores. We’re 40 minutes from a Walmart.”

This year, the program is being funded through town efforts. It’s about $500 a week to provide free meals to the kids in the program, according to Robinson.

In the past, they’ve received funding from the USDA – the Summer Food Service Program.

The state Education Department said funding for the program, which helps kids in lower-income areas have access to free, nutritious meals in the summer, is paid for by the USDA and then administered by the state’s Education Department.

“It’s like a thousand kids for lunch and maybe 200 or 300 for breakfast,” said Chris Whitman, the director of Food Services for the Rome City School District.

The Rome City School District prepares and distributes food for kids in their community, including at summer programs.

This effort fills bellies and helps eliminate potential embarrassment a child may feel if there’s a food insecurity at home.

“It’s a win-win that they get provided for, they get educated to, and enrichment programs and nourishment,” Whitman said.

As for how needed free meals for kids are?

“We’re looking probably about 120,000 meals this summer with just the Oneida BOCES programs,” Kate Dorr said, the Oneida Herkimer Madison BOCES Director of Shared Food Services.

The OHM BOCES program has 30 summer sites.

“Families of all economic status are seeing that this can be really helpful, especially during this time when, everything seems to be getting more expensive and times are really tight,” she said.

“I think it’s wonderful that we have free meals for kids during the summer. A lot of kids don’t have the opportunity to have hot meals. We have a hot meal every day, and we have a cold meal, a peanut butter jelly sandwich every day option so our kids enjoy the meals here. We have great meals. Our cook is wonderful. I think it’s good for the community because not a lot of kids get that option,” Robinson said.

Many programs, like the one in the town of Ohio, run for six weeks in the summer. 

It’s funded by the Ohio Recreation Committee, which is holding a chicken barbecue fundraiser on Sunday, July 12.

The state Education Department said there are various eligibility requirements for the Summer Food Service Program.

There are non-congregate sites with requirements including being in a USDA-defined rural area, be a location where at least half of the children are eligible for free or reduced-price school meals, and local children must not have reasonable access to congregate meal service.