The Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation, in partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture, the California Department of Education and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, will provide approximately 300,000 free snacks and lunches this summer to children at 50 county parks, 25 county libraries, and at Gerdes Park, Hermosillo Park and Norwalk Park in the city of Norwalk.
The summer lunch program will also take place at St. Lucy’s Catholic Church in East Los Angeles, and the Gloria Molina Community Empowerment Center in Walnut Park.
The 2018 free Summer Food Service Program will kick off on Monday, June 11, and will end Friday, Aug. 3. Lunch and snacks will be served between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. Exact times vary depending on location.
Created to help reduce the growing number of young people in the United States challenged by obesity or lack of consistent access to wholesome meals, this program aims to provide a healthy alternative for children when school is out for the summer.
Monday through Friday during each week of the program, children 18-years-of-age and under are invited to receive a nutritious lunch and snack, which may include vegetables, fruits, seeds and healthy dairy products like milk, string cheese and yogurt.
Participating parks are required to service communities within the geographical boundaries of an elementary, middle or high school attendance area where at least 50 percent of students are eligible for free or reduced-price school meals.
“The Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation is proud to be part of the safety net that helps ensure children do not go hungry this summer by having access to daily healthy meals while not in school,” said Department Director John Wicker. “We want young people to come to our parks, enjoy a healthy lunch and snack, and stay for all the great programs, facilities and other amenities that our parks offer to their communities.”
The public may use the California Department of Education’s (CDE) CA Meals for Kids mobile app to find the locations of California’s Summer and Afterschool Meal Programs, including the ones sponsored by the county Department of Parks and Recreation.
The CA Meals for Kids App provides the most up-to-date information about meal services available in the community. Children and families can use location-based searches to find meal sites, dates, and times. The app also allows for searches by site name, ZIP code, and city.
The CA Meals for Kids mobile app is available for free download through Apple’s App Store , Google’s Play Store , and Microsoft’s App Store Web pages. More information is available on CDE’s CA Meals for Kids Mobile Application support Web page.
For more information about the county Department of Parks and Recreation’s 2018 Summer Food Service Program, including locations, please call 310-965-8630.
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9 Comments
Why are we sharing this when there isn’t a summer food service location at any of our local parks? ? More of our tax dollars going elsewhere.
There are seven locations in SCV, see above flyer.
Dara Pettinato I downloaded the app and there were none on it in Santa Clarita for the summer program.
Most likely the people that will be getting the free food through this are already using welfare for free food that they buy on their own. The government needs to stop trying to replace family. Let the families feed their kids the way they want.
What? Why? My Tax Money Your Tax Money, California Your NUTZ
Participating parks are required to service communities within the geographical boundaries of an elementary, middle or high school attendance area where at least 50 percent of students are eligible for free or reduced-price school meals. However, this article is making it sound like this program is available for ALL children under 18 (eligibility doesn’t seem to be required.) Though it’s not clear here, it would be only available at certain parks. I don’t even know if there are any schools in SCV where 50% of the student body receives subsidized lunches. I don’t have a problem feeding needy children under the same guidelines used to provide free lunches at school. This should be a benefit for those whose family can’t afford to feed them, only. Children should not go hungry simply because school is out.
These are the local locations.
Thank you!
Be advised that: The contact person for the Food Snack Program is Catarah Coleman at (213) 447-0055. She welcomes any and all related inquiries about this Federal school age children (all are welcome if they come to a park with this program. The App associated with this program is not operated by the County. It is feared that this program will not survive the next fiscal year due to cuts.