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Keeping Food on the Summer Table
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one tough job
Schools in Massachusetts do an excellent job of keeping our children fed during school hours. Many schools offer reduced or free breakfast and lunch to families and provide meals during holiday food drives at Thanksgiving and Christmas. When school is in session, families typically only shop and plan for afterschool meals such as dinner and weekend meals. This means that families spend less on groceries and food prepping during the school year than in the summer.
What happens when school is out for the summer? Families are left to provide those extra meals for their children. Many feel the economic burden and stress of covering these costs, and some families experience food insecurity. According to Project Bread, around 20% of families in Massachusetts experienced food insecurity during the height of the Covid-19 Pandemic.
The good news is there are many free or low-cost food sources for families across the Commonwealth. A few options include:
- Your local food banks. Enter your zip code to find the nearest one to you.
- Your local food pantries. Click on your city/town to see what is available.
- Apply to the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP).
- Check to see if your child's school has a summer meal program.
School may be out for the summer, but you are not alone in keeping food on the table for your children and family. Check out our Resource Finder for more information about all family-serving resources in Massachusetts.
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