Children in the Santa Clarita Valley are eligible for free meals this summer at several locations.

The USDA Summer Meal Program is sponsored by the SCV School Food Services Agency and offers healthy food choices for kids.

There are eight locations in the Santa Clarita Valley that provide free summer meals: Val Verde Youth Activity League, Newhall Boys and Girls Club, Newhall Community Center, Canyon Country Boys and Girls Club, Leona Cox Elementary, Valley View Elementary, Cedarcreek Elementary, and Rio Vista Elementary. Some of these locations serve both breakfast and lunch.

Free meals that meet federal nutrition guidelines, are provided to all children 18 years old and under at approved sites in areas with significant concentrations of low-income children.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, the Summer Food Service Program was established to ensure that low-income children continue to receive nutritious meals when school is not in session.

The Santa Clarita Valley School Food Services Agency website provides the menu calendar for the breakfast and lunches that will be served each day at each location. The menu changes each day with a variety of different healthy food options. An example of a summer lunch meal includes choices of turkey and cheese wrap, carrots, corn and black beans, and all meals are served with fruit and a choice of milk.

Jane Crawford, director of the SCV Food Services Agency, said there are no requirements to receive a meal except being within the age range of 1 to 18.