Where to find free summer meals for kids in Eugene, Springfield, Lane County

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• FOOD for Lane County, Eugene School District 4J and Bethel School District are all offering free summer meals for kids.
• Most programs begin on June 23 and continue through August.

Summer is officially here and kids are out of school. Parents and guardians may be looking for ways to keep kids fed a balanced diet while sticking to their budget through the summer months.

The Register-Guard has compiled a list of Lane County resources where kids can eat free from June through August.

All meal sites are closed on July 4.

FOOD for Lane County serving free summer meals

The FOOD for Lane County Summer Food Program begins June 23 and will continue through Aug. 22, serving meals at over 30 locations across the county.

The program provides free, nutritious meals to youth age 2 to 18 years old during the summer months. There are no prerequisites to qualify for the program and it is available to any youth. Toddlers ages 1 and 2 may eat when accompanied by a responsible adult.

Meals must be eaten on-site, there is no grab-and-go option. SFP is funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Monday through Friday, from 11:30 to 12:30 p.m., free youth meals will be available at the following sites:

• Cobalt Activity Center, 364 Cobalt Lane, Creswell
• Holt Park, Harvey Road North, Creswell
• Acorn Park, 1501 Buck St., Eugene
• Amazon Park, 22 Amazon Parkway, Eugene
• Awbrey Park, 4291 River Road, Eugene
• Brewer Park, 1820 Brewer Lane, Eugene
• Emerald Park, 1400 Lake Drive, Eugene
• Jacobs’ Lane, 3450 Jacobs Lane, Eugene
• Maplewood Meadows, 2855 Matt Drive, Eugene
• Petersen Barn Park, Berntzen Road and Royal Avenue, Eugene
• Sheldon Community Center, 2445 Willakenzie Road, Eugene
• Riverplay Park at Skinner Butte, 248 Cheshire Ave., Eugene
• Sladden Park, 925 Cheshire Ave., Eugene
• State Street Park, Dakota Street and Burnett Avenue, Eugene
• Tugman Park, 3666 Hilyard St., Eugene
• Umso Park, Grand Cayman Drive and Antigua Drive, Eugene
• Junction City High School, 1135 W. Sixth Ave., Junction City (open noon to 12:30 p.m., July 7 through Aug. 7)
• Laurel Park, 1515 Rose St., Junction City
• Arc Park, 4181 E St., Springfield (opens June 24)
• Bob Keefer Center, 250 S. 32nd St., Springfield
• Guy Lee Park, 890 Darlene Ave., Springfield
• Hayden Bridge Landing, 1975 Fifth St., Springfield
• Meadow Park, 851 Mill St., Springfield
• Menlo Park, 1080 Cottonwood Ave., Springfield
• Springfield Public Library, 225 Fifth St. Suite 301, Springfield
• Willamalane Park, 1276 G St., Springfield
• Splash! Lively Park, 6100 Thurston Road, Thurston
• Thurston Park, 747 64th St., Thurston
• Veneta City Park, 25192 E Broadway Ave., Veneta

If temperatures exceed 100°F during service, grab-and-go will be available. However, if temperatures exceed 103°F during service, all sites will be closed for the day. Additionally, if the Air Quality Index exceeds 200, some sites may close and open sites will offer grab-and-go services. When AQI exceeds 250, all outdoor sites will be closed for the day.

Learn more about the Summer Food Program and volunteering opportunities at www.foodforlanecounty.org/get-help/programs-for-children.

Other FOOD for Lane County family resources:

• Free diaper and infant care supplieshand-out at Fern Ridge Family Resource Center at Veneta City Park every Wednesday this summer.
• Women, Infants and Children on-site public health program enrollment to help families sign up for programs. Representatives will be at Veneta City Park on June 24, Laurel Park on July 1 and Thurston Park on July 10.

Free summer meals for kids at Bethel School District

Bethel School District’s summer meal program begins June 23 and runs until Aug. 8, serving both breakfast at lunch at two school locations, Monday through Friday.

All youth ages 0-18 are eligible and do not need to be enrolled in Bethel to receive meals.

Where can you go to get meals in the Bethel neighborhood?

• Willamette High School, located at 1801 Echo Hollow Road, will serve breakfast from 9 to 9:30 a.m. and lunch from 11:30 a.m. to noon.
• Prairie Mountain School, located at 5303 Royal Ave., will serve breakfast from 8:30 to 9 a.m. and lunch from 12 to 12:30 p.m.

Neither location will have grab-and-go services. Children 0-18 must be present to pick up their meals and consume them on site in the school courtyard areas. For more information and menus, visit www.bethel.k12.or.us/16573_4.

Bethel offers two more unique food service programs in the summer: a produce pick-up service and a family essentials resource center.

Bethel’s Produce Plus is a drive-thru produce pick-up service where families can access free locally grown fruits and vegetables. The program is first come, first serve from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. every Wednesday at the Bethel Farm, located behind Prairie Mountain School, along Patriot Way. Produce is provided by Bethel Farm and FOOD for Lane County.

The Cascade Family Resource Center is another free resource for Bethel families, where they can “shop” for fresh food, dairy products, breads, canned goods, clothes, toiletries and other essentials. The center, located at Cascade Middle School at 1525 Echo Hollow Rd., will be open from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on the first and third Thursdays of each month. For more information, contact Shannon Witty at [email protected] or call 541-689-0641 ext. 3024.

Free summer meals for kids at Eugene 4J schools

Eugene School District 4J’s summer meal program begins June 30 and will run until Aug. 8, serving breakfast at lunch at two school locations, Monday through Friday.

The program is available to all youth ages 0-18. They do not need to be enrolled in 4J to receive meals.

Which Eugene schools are serving breakfast and lunch this summer?

• Howard Elementary, located at 800 Howard Ave., will serve breakfast from 9 to 9:30 a.m. and lunch from 12:30 to 1 p.m.
• Chávez Elementary, located at 1510 West 14th Ave., will serve breakfast from 9 to 9:30 a.m. and lunch from 12:30 to 1 p.m.

At both locations, there will be no grab-and-go services. Children must be present to pick up their meals and consume them on site in the school courtyard areas.

The district also reminds families with eligible school-aged children that they can receive a total of $120 per child to buy groceries during the summer when school is out through Oregon’s food benefits program.

The Oregon Department of Human Services and Oregon Department of Education partnered together to create Summer EBT. Families receiving certain federal benefits, such as SNAP, TANF or OHP, will automatically receive Summer EBT benefits, as will those enrolled in migrant programs, who are experiencing homelessness or who are attending Head Start.

For more information, to apply, or to check if your family is eligible, visit www.oregon.gov/odhs/food/pages/sebt.aspx.

Where to get kids’ summer meals in Oakridge, Pleasant Hill, Dexter and more?

FOOD for Lane County’s new Rural Summer Kids Program, an extension of SFP, brings free meals to kids outside the Eugene-Springfield metro.

Driving along OR-58, FOOD for Lane County staff will deliver five days worth of lunches, stopping at designated locations across the community once a week. At each stop, kids will be handed a bag containing their lunches for the week. The program is available for any kids 18 and under.

Each distribution stop will be 15 minutes.

Which towns will FOOD for Lane County stop in?

Servicing June 23 through Aug. 19:

• Pleasant Hill Community Center, 36386 OR-58, Pleasant Hill, every Tuesday from 11:30 to 11:50 a.m.
• Cascade Foothills Library, 39140 Dexter Road, Dexter, every Tuesday from 12:20 to 12:40 p.m.

Servicing July 24 through Aug. 21:

• Deception Creek Mobile Park, 46372 OR-58, Westfir, every Thursday from 10:15 to 10:30 a.m.
• Hemlock Park 76895 22nd St., Westfir, every Thursday from 10:45 to 11:00 a.m.
• Willamette Activity Center 47674 School St., Oakridge, every Thursday from 11:15 to 11:30 a.m.
• Ironwood Village 47537 Teller Road, Oakridge, every Thursday from 11:45 to 12:00 p.m.
• Diamond View Park 76488 Commercial St., Oakridge, every Thursday from 12:15 to 12:30 p.m.
• Salmon Creek Park 48381 Hills St., Oakridge, every Thursday from 12:45 to 1:00 p.m.

Learn more at www.foodforlanecounty.org/get-help/programs-for-children.

To find other free summer meal sites sponsored by the USDA, visit www.fns.usda.gov/summer/sitefinder.

Miranda Cyr reports on education for The Register-Guard. You can contact her at [email protected] or find her on Twitter @mirandabcyr.