ROCHESTER — Free meals are available to city students younger than 18 this summer at several locations, including schools, recreation and outreach centers, and churches.
The Summer Meals Planning Committee coordinates the distribution of the free breakfasts and other meals and seeks to increase summer meal participation, according to a press release. A March 2013 report by the Center for Governmental Research found that as many as 16,000 low-income youths in Rochester are missing out on healthy, free summer meals made available to them while school is not in session.
In an effort to help community partners provide additional summer meals or add more days of meal service, Rochester Area Community Foundation awarded $25,000 in Summer Meals Mini-Grants to nine organizations, the press release stated. For the first time, the funding also provides for the purchase of equipment to engage youths in physical activities at the meal sites to help boost participation.
For a list of the sites, visit www.healthikids.org.
