COMMISSIONER MILLER URGES SUPPORT FOR PARTNERS OFFERING CHILD NUTRITION AT SUMMER MEAL SITES AFTER JUNE 1 (5/15/2024)

Three Tools Make It Easy to Find Sites Serving No-Cost Meals for Texas Children

Austin – Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller today announced that schools, churches, city governments, and other nonprofits will open no-cost meal sites across Texas on or around June 1. The Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) administers the Summer Meal Programs in Texas and these TDA partners provide no-cost meals for children 18 and younger and enrolled students with disabilities up to age 21 in low-income areas.

"Our Summer Meal Program partners play a crucial role in our mission to provide balanced meals to children across Texas when school cafeterias close for summer," Commissioner Miller emphasized. "Their dedication ensures that children have access to nutritious meals, helping them stay active and healthy throughout the summer break, and return to school ready to thrive. I urge everyone to join me in raising awareness about these meal sites and supporting our invaluable partners."

Commissioner Miller encourages Texas families to use one of the following three ways to find a nearby meal site:

1. Text FOOD or COMIDA to 304-304 for meal site information.
2. Visit www.summerfood.org to access an interactive meal site map. 
3. Call 2-1-1 to speak to a live operator in English or Spanish.

This summer, some sites in rural areas will be distributing multi-day bundles of meals for families that have difficulties attending a site daily, so it is important for families to use these tools frequently to confirm dates and times and get more information about how meals will be served. Families may call, text, go online, or connect with meal sites throughout the summer to access healthy meals for young Texans.

TDA partners serve meals at sites in designated areas, such as areas where more than 50 percent of children are eligible for free or reduced-price meals in the National School Lunch or School Breakfast Programs. Meals are provided to individuals 18 years old or younger without charge, and adults 19 years of age and over who are determined by a state or local educational agency to have a mental or physical disability and enrolled in a public or private school program established for people with mental or physical disabilities.

For more information about TDA’s Summer Meal Programs, visit www.SummerFood.org or call TDA’s Food and Nutrition Division at (877) TEX-MEAL or (877) 839-6325.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.