‘Kids Eat Free’ program wraps up another successful summer, serving 7,669 meals
The “Kids Eat Free” program was a success again this summer, which provided children with free, nutritious lunches.
For many children, school lunch is the only full meal they eat each day. During the summer months, these children are at risk of going hungry. While summer lunch programs are available in the community, children who visit Children’s Mercy over the lunch hour may not be able to access these programs. The Hunger Free Hospital Task Force, a multidisciplinary group of Children’s Mercy employees, worked to ensure children had access to lunch by participating in the USDA Summer Food Service Program (SFSP).
The USDA SFSP was established to ensure that children continue to receive nutritious meals when school is not in session. Free meals that meet federal nutrition guidelines are provided to children at approved SFSP sites.
The program received many positive comments from families such as “this is a good idea for helping me feed my kids healthy foods” and “Kids Eat Free is a real blessing, this summer we have had a huge financial burden and been up here weekly with appointments, so glad this program exists.”
In addition to the family comments, the sheer number of meals provided demonstrates this program’s impact. From June 4 to Aug. 10, we served:
- 3,353 free meals in the Orbits cafeteria at Children's Mercy Adele Hall Campus
- 760 free meals in the Adele Hall Emergency Department
- 1,918 free meals at Children’s Mercy on Broadway
- 782 free meals at Children’s Mercy West
- 761 free meals at Children’s Mercy East
The grand total is 7,669 meals, which is a 60 percent increase from last summer!
The Hunger Free Hospital Task Force would like to thank all staff who served as Ambassadors for the program or made time to support the effort.
