School District Kicks Off Free Summer Lunch Program

San Diego's Summer Fun Café runs through the end of August at many sites across the county, providing free meals to children

The San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) kicked off its free summer lunch program Thursday with a community barbecue that served more than 1,000 local children and families.

Outfitted in aprons and armed with spatulas, city leaders – including Mayor Kevin Faulconer and SDUSD Superintendent Cindy Marten – gathered at Skyline Hills Community Park for the “Summer Fun Café” kickoff party that featured food and activities.

Each summer, the school district’s Summer Fun Café program serves approximately 300,000 meals and snacks to children ages 18 and under.

During the school year, tens of thousands of children in San Diego County depend on free and reduced-price lunches each day. When school ends for the summer, this program aims to fill that nutritional gap and keep kids from going hungry.

There are no enrollment requirements, paperwork or income qualifications needed for children looking to partake in the program, which runs now through the end of August at most sites.

The summer meal sites are spread throughout the county -- in central, east, north central, north and south San Diego -- mainly in communities considered high-need areas. For the full list of locations, visit this website.

San Diego’s program is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) “Seamless Summer Feeding Option." The program is administered by the California Department of Education at the state level and is operated by a network of organizations such as school districts and nonprofits.

It has operated locally since 2003. The City of San Diego Park and Recreation Department has partnered with the SDUSD to help expand the program 58 sites across the county, including 27 park and recreation centers, 14 community centers and military sites and 17 San Diego Unified schools.

Across the nation this summer, the USDA plans to serve more than 200 million free meals to children at approved Summer Food Service Program sites.

Families who attended the kickoff BBQ not only ate a good meal, they also went home with a bag of fresh fruit and vegetables from the San Diego Food Bank or Feeding America San Diego.

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