This blog post was written by Kayla Dunn, United Way of King County editorial associate.

When school lets out for the summer, some schoolchildren lose access to two meals daily.

Breakfast and lunch—which are offered at free or reduced cost during the school year—are suddenly added to parents’ grocery lists, adding an average of $300 each month. With the rising cost of groceries and growing kids, that number continues to balloon.

“Summer is supposed to be a fun time for kids—school’s out,” said Madeleine Vistica, United Way of King County’s food security program manager. “But we know that for a lot of households that rely on the free meals and after-school snacks, it can be a huge financial strain on families.”

The Free Summer Meals program helps fill this gap.

Starting on July 1, all kids in Washington can access free food from any of the state’s 200 meal sites. To secure food, kids need to show up! No paperwork, identification, or proof of income is required. In addition to food, the sites also offer a safe space for kids to live, learn, and gather. United Way of King County leads the statewide Free Summer Meals Program in partnership with our state education agency, the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, to provide free meals to youth under 18.

Summer is supposed to be a fun time for kids—school’s out. But we know that for a lot of households that rely on the free meals and after-school snacks, it can be a huge financial strain on families.

Madeleine Vistica, United Way of King County’s food security program manager

In addition to the Free Summer Meals program, Washington launched a summer EBT program called SUN Bucks.

Through SUN Bucks, families will receive $120 for each eligible child to help cover the cost of groceries while school is out. Like SNAP funding, SUN Bucks can be used to purchase food at grocery stores, farmers markets, and corner stores.

“About 600,000 children in Washington state will be receiving SUN Bucks by the end of summer,” said Elsa Young, United Way’s Food Security Impact Manager. “That’s $72 million supporting childhood food security.”

Visit hungerfreewa.org/summerebt to learn more about accessing SUN Bucks. For additional information, text FOOD to 304304.

So far, 560,000 kids have been approved for their SUN Bucks card, and 80% already have their benefits card in hand.

Free Summer Meals and SUN Bucks are federal programs operating across the country but are heavily sponsored by local entities. United Way supports the programs financially and operationally; we supply funding and 80 AmeriCorps members to help keep the free meal sites open and serve meals.

On July 12, a Free Summer Meals Celebration will be held at Jefferson Park from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. There will be educational activities, games, and lots of free food. All are welcome!

The celebration closes out Free Summer Meals week—which takes place from July 8-12—which Gov. Jay Inslee dubbed to raise awareness for the program. If you’re interested in attending or volunteering at the celebration, more information can be found here.

“It’s important that these programs exist to provide seamless food access to kids and teens during the summer months,” Vistica said.

To find the location and hours of the Free Summer Meals site closest to you, visit freesummermeals.org.