Free Lunch Programs for Kids in the Puget Sound Region

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Kids are expensive. Food is expensive these days. Even having a decent job doesn’t mean that parents aren’t worried about the bills and the future, and that they couldn’t use a little help. For workers on the lower end of the pay scale, putting food on the table is a constant worry – one among many. Luckily, during the summer months, there’s a little help for kids and parents with free lunch programs, scattered all over the region and state.

Most free meal programs are funded in part or in full by the federal government, and are run at a local level. This helps ensure that smaller school districts that can’t afford the types of programs that larger ones can are still able to help the kids in their regions.

The USDA Food and Nutrition Service offers an online search function to find a Summer Meals for Kids site near you. Click on the map and then enter your address or zoom in to your area. Click on the dot and you’ll find the sponsoring school district, site location, and the days and times the program is available. All of the programs in cities and towns around the region are listed on the map.

If the USDA map is a little overwhelming, some cities offer a list of their programs. Federal Way has a list of program locations, which include apartment complexes and the Boys and Girls Club, as well schools.

The Kent School District has an extensive list of programs that run through August 11th that includes breakfasts, snacks and lunches. Meals are offered at many locations, including most of the schools, apartment complexes, public parks, and youth centers.

Tacoma Metro Parks is offering a free summer playground and lunch program which runs through September 1st. Supervised games and activities run from 10 am to 3 pm, and a free lunch, which has to be eaten on site, is offered from 12 pm to 1 pm. 10 parks around Tacoma are holding the program. Check the website for locations.

You can also call a hotline to find a meal program near you. The USDA Hotline is 1-866-348-6479. If you’re in Seattle you can send an email to SFSP@seattle.gov.

Programs are open to all kids from age 1 to 18. There are no ID requirements. Most programs require that meals are eaten on site and do not offer take home meals, and they don’t run on weekends.