The city of Philadelphia kicked off its Summer Meals program on Wednesday with Mayor Cherelle Parker passing out meals to area kids at Vare Recreation Center.
The city is partnering with the School District of Philadelphia, Philabundance and other local organizations to provide free meals to anyone under 18 during the summer.
“If we take care of each other, there’s nothing we can’t do,” Parker said.
Over 100,000 kids face food insecurity throughout Philadelphia, according to city officials. The program aims to bridge that gap during the summer months.
Hundreds of sites citywide will begin providing meals for residents. The city says no I.D. or proof of income is required.
“Just because school is out, does not mean you can’t eat. We are going to make sure you have food this summer,” Susan Slawson, the commissioner of Philadelphia Parks and Recreation, said.
JSJ Food Bank is one of the many organizations stepping up to make sure no kid goes hungry during the summer.
Executive Director Jeanne Spence said her organization serves more than 500 students per day during the summer with the food bank focusing on the area of Frankford, where there’s a big need.
“For us, it’s our lunch and supper meals and there’s other sites here really connecting with the city to be able to provide breakfast, so the student students do not go left hungry,” she said.
Jacqueline Velykis and her son visited the recreation center to learn more about the program. She said that with rising grocery prices, the summer meals will be a big help for her family.
“Prices have definitely gone up, a lot,” Velykis said. “Then the kids they want to pick and choose what they want. They want to waste the food, and it costs too much to be wasting all the food, so this definitely helps out a lot.”
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