CLEVELAND — As June marks the end of the school year, area organizations are stepping up to offer free meals to young people across Northeast Ohio.
"This is really taking the place in the summer of the meals that a lot of the children receive free at school," Jennifer Walker from University Hospitals says of their USDA Summer Food Service Program.
The hospital system has six locations where kids between the ages of 1 and 18 can get a complimentary hot lunch.
"If my pantry … has a little deficit, I know that I can come here and my daughter will have at least one hot meal for the day," Skye Benning told 3News.
Benning has brought her daughter to UH's free summer lunch program for kids for the last eight years.
"It's just part of our summer ritual," Benning added. "We look forward to this."
Meals are served Monday through Friday from 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Any child is eligible because there is no income qualification.
"We see the impact that food has on health," Walker explained, "so we want to make sure that there is a good option for families."
In addition to the daily free meals for all children, there is an extra benefit for those who participate in the lunch program at UH Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital's site in Cleveland and also meet income requirements. On Fridays, they will receive a free box of food for each child who participates to help that child make it through the weekend.
Below are the locations and dates of UH's program:
- UH Ahuja Medical Center - 3999 Richmond Road, Beachwood, OH 44122
- June 3-Aug. 13
- UH Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital - 2101 Adelbert Road, Cleveland, OH 44106
- June 3-Aug. 16
- UH Elyria Medical Center - 630 East River Rd, Elyria, OH 44035
- June 3-Aug. 21
- UH Parma Medical Center - 7007 Powers Blvd, Parma, OH 4412
- June 17-Aug. 31
- UH Portage Medical Center - 6847 Chestnut St, Ravenna, OH 44266
- June 3-Aug. 16
- UH Samaritan Medical Center - 1025 Center St, Ashland, OH 44805
- June 3-Aug. 16
About four miles away from Rainbow, volunteers at the Greater Cleveland Food Bank Distribution Hub prepared breakfast meals Wednesday to send to more than 120 partner sites in six counties. The Food Bank expects to serve 5,500 kids free breakfast and lunch this summer.
"It is so important to get the food out to the kids who need it," Karen Pozna, director of communications and special events for the Greater Cleveland Food Bank, said. "Fifty percent of the people that we serve are either seniors or children. There is a great need."
To find the closest site to you, call (216) 738.7239 or visit the Greater Cleveland Food Bank's summer meals website.
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