SANTA BARBARA – The Summer Food Service program kicked off Tuesday feeding hundreds of children for free.
More children are qualifying for the free and reduced-priced lunch program during the school year and thanks to the federally funded Summer Food Service, the kids will continue to get meals.
"We're feeding the community. Any child 18 years or younger is entitled to come and eat at no charge," said Nancy Weiss, Santa Barbara Unified School District Food Services Director.
The program will serve fresh and healthy food to the most needy in the community until August 17 at school cafeterias, parks ad community centers.
"The need is greater, we're seeing more middle income folks coming to our services where before it was more of a smaller population," said Mark Alvarado, Santa Barbara City Neighborhood Services Supervisor.
The program is apart of the National School Lunch Program that provides free and reduced-price lunches to students. During the school year, families need to qualify for those meals and the income levels are low.
To receive a free lunch, a family of four can only earn up to $29,055 a year. For a reduced-price lunch that costs $0.40, a family of four can only earn up to $41,348. In Santa Barbara County, 54 percent of children qualify for the program.
"It's an amazing, staggering figure," said Weiss. "I think poverty is on the rise."
But during the summertime, kids won't have to worry about where their next lunch will come from. Parents and other adults can eat too, for just $3.50.
Summer Food Service Locations:
- Franklin Elementary School cafeteria, 1111 E. Mason Street, lunch at 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. and snack at 2:00-2:30 p.m.;
- Skater's Point, Mobile Café, (East Beach) Garden Street and Cabrillo Boulevard, lunch at 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. (lunches for adults will not be served at Skater's Point);
- La Cumbre Junior High School parking lot, Mobile Café, 350 Portesuello, lunch at 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.;
- Eling's Park, Mobile Café, 1298 Las Positas Road, lunch at 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.;
- Parque de los Niños, 520 Wentworth Avenue, lunch at 1:00-2:00 p.m.;
- McKinley Elementary School cafeteria, 350 Loma Alta, lunch at 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. and snack at 2:00-2:30 p.m.;
- Westside Community Center, Mobile Café, 423 W. Victoria Street, lunch at 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. and snack at 2:00-2:30 p.m.
