Seattle dishing out free student lunches while school is out for summer

School is out for summer — finally. In Seattle, that means children who rely on free and reduced school meals can get access to free breakfasts, lunches, and snacks while class is out.

The program is organized by the city of Seattle’s Human Services Department. It’s partially funded by the USDA and supports various sites across the city. Coordinator Alexis Izor says Seattle’s is the largest program in the state.

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“The city of Seattle is the largest sponsor of the program in the state of Washington, so we have 130 sites this year … Parks, community centers, community-based non-profits, all service sites,” Izor said.

“For a lot of kids and the families who rely on free and reduced-priced lunches and breakfasts during the school year find themselves without that resource once summer hits,” she said.

Some sites serve cereal, milk and fruit. Others serve lunches with chicken Caesar salad, pizza, and juice.

“They are not asked to register for anything, provide identification, proof of income, proof of residency, immigration status, none of like that — no sign ups,” Izor said. “So they just show up at a site, get a meal, no questions asked.”

For more information about summer meals offered in Seattle and other cities visit freesummermeals.org, or text “food” or “Comida” to 877-877.