Oakland halts free summer meals for kids due to budget shortage

OAKLAND, Calif. – A City of Oakland program that has fed thousands of children each summer will halt operations this year due to budget constraints.

A letter recently sent by the city to the more than 45 community and faith-based sites that had hosted the program in past years stated that the city would end its Summer Food Service Program due to a lack of funds.

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A representative for the city said the program operated at an annual cost of $626,000, not including staffing. The lion’s share of that money, $426,000, was reimbursed by a state grant. Another $200,000 came from the 2016 sugar-sweetened beverage tax. 

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Those funds were reallocated following a December vote by the Oakland City Council to use that money to address its $130 million budget deficit.

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The program was administered by two full-time staff members, as well as several part-time staff at the various distribution sites.

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“Without those funds, the City is unable to continue working with community partners and organizations to provide food in the summer of 2025,” Michael Akanji, an Oakland city analyst who helped coordinate the program’s funds, stated in the letter to the program’s partners.

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The Summer Food Service Program was scheduled to start following the final day of classes at Oakland Unified School District, May 29.

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Going without

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What they’re saying:

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Sharon Fong is the Assistant Director of the Chinese Presbyterian Church, which has partnered with the Summer Food Service Program for nearly 20 years. Fong said news of the program’s suspension was “really hard” to hear.

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“That program has been a godsend. We’ve had families who are just emigrating from wherever they’re coming from, and having a food source for them, even being able to serve breakfast and a snack, making sure they have lunch — you can tell the families really appreciate that resource,” Fong said.

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She said the free meals provided by the Summer Food Service Program helped draw families to the church’s summer youth program. In the short time since learning it had been paused, she’s already seen the impacts.

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“We received a phone call from a family ready to register (their child), and then they asked about the lunch program. I think the parents said they needed lunches, so they weren’t sure if our program was the right fit for their kids,” Fong said. “We really try to make sure the summer youth program doesn’t cost too much, and the free lunches helped with that.”

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Fong said she and other members of the church are brainstorming ideas to close the gap, including asking for donations, or starting a co-op with parents, but they’re in the very early stages of finding a solution.

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In 2024, the Summer Food Service Program provided more than 100,000 hot, free lunches to kids to help bridge the summer gap for those children who rely on free or reduced-cost meals provided at school. Approximately 33,000 students rely on school-provided meals during the school year.

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Akanji encouraged partner sites to connect with food banks or local businesses for support, or to apply directly for USDA support.
 

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