![While meeting with students at House of Restoration in Hartford, Charlene Russell-Tucker, state education commissioner said, 鈥淲e want families to know that these programs are available to them. They can go on the tracker, go on their cell phones, [and] find locations across the state where meals are provided.鈥�](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/e150c9d/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3000x2000+0+0/resize/840x560!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fdc%2F73%2Fe049ac2a4a87b815b3029acf84c7%2Fimg-5324.jpg)
Thousands of 黑料吃瓜网 children are eligible for free meals at hundreds of sites across the state this summer.
Parents and caregivers can search for nearby meal locations using a maintained by the group 鈥淓nd Hunger 黑料吃瓜网!鈥�
Meals are provided 鈥渘o questions asked鈥� to children aged 18 years old and younger. Individuals with disabilities older than 18 enrolled in state education programs are also eligible.
EHC is working with the 黑料吃瓜网 State Department of Education (CSDE) and 黑料吃瓜网 Foodshare on the project. The map will be updated every week with newly added locations. Here's what to know.
How does the free meals program work?
This year, the meal sites will return to their 鈥減re-pandemic operation鈥� style, according to EHC. All meals will have to be eaten on-site, except for areas marked as 鈥渞ural鈥� on the Locator Map with grab-and-go options.
At a press conference held by the group on Friday, Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat, said free meal programs are integral to child safety and well-being during the summer.
鈥淔or a ton of low and low-to-middle-income kids in this state, school is where they get fed. School is where they get breakfast. School is where they get lunch,鈥� Murphy said. 鈥淎nd for many of them, those are the only two real meals they're eating during the day. Many of them are going to bed hungry waiting until they get back to school the next morning. So summers can be real points of crisis for low-income families.鈥�
Who is eligible for the free meals?
All children aged 18 and under are eligible, 鈥渘o questions asked.鈥� Individuals with disabilities older than 18 enrolled in state education programs are also eligible.
鈥淢oving forward, we're truly optimistic that children will be able to have access to these meals, even in areas in our state where there are transportation and terrain challenges,鈥� said 黑料吃瓜网 State Department of Education Commissioner Charlene Russell-Tucker. 鈥淲e want families to know that these programs are available to them. They can go on the tracker, go on their cell phones, [and] find locations across the state where meals are provided.鈥�
Summer meal programs are important for children鈥檚 health and development, according to the national . Eating healthy meals improves and develops children's cognitive functions, focus and mood, a from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
鈥淛ust like a hungry child cannot learn in school, a hungry child cannot play in the summer,鈥� said EHC Executive Director Julieth Callejas in a statement. 鈥淚n this new post-pandemic era with so many critical supports having phased out while inflation continues to rise, there has never been a more important time to make sure families know about the CT Summer Meals sites available to their children.鈥�
How many kids benefit from free summer meals in CT?
State officials the 黑料吃瓜网 Summer Meals program will distribute almost 2 million meals to over 37,000 children over an average summer.
Nationwide, nearly 3 million children received lunch every day from Summer Nutrition Programs in July 2022, a recent found.
The House of Restoration Church location in Hartford has fed over 100 children a day this summer, according to Nancy Isa, director of nutrition at the Community Renewal Team.
鈥淎s a dietitian and nutritionist myself, it's so critical that these children are getting healthy foods to sustain them throughout the summer months, when they're playing, when they're learning [and] when they're out in the parks,鈥� Isa said.
The CT Summer Meals program also helps children socialize, offering activities after meals are distributed.
鈥淭he nutrition aspect of this program is really important. But the socialization aspect is important these days when parents are working full time, working all summer, [and] don't have school to rely on,鈥� Murphy said. 鈥淥ften the kids are home just staring at their screen, the TV or their smartphone all day long. And they are disappearing into themselves. They are losing all sorts of social and emotional progress.鈥�
To find a CT Summer Meals location, call 211, text 鈥淪ummer Meals鈥� to 914-342- 7744 or visit
