COMMISSIONER MILLER REMINDS TEXAS FAMILIES THAT SUMMER MEALS HELP CHILDREN STAY ACTIVE, HEALTHY (5/31/2021)

AUSTIN – Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller today announced the Summer Meal Programs administered by the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) will provide healthy meals at sites across Texas this summer. Nonprofits, libraries, schools and other community organizations will partner with TDA to operate thousands of meal sites offering healthy, no-cost meals for children 18 years old and younger and people 21 and younger with disabilities.

“School might be out but that doesn’t mean the meals have to end,” Commissioner Miller said. “Children depend on a well-balanced meal all year long. My folks at TDA have teamed up with our valued partners to help Texas families ensure children have the proper nutrition they need for an active, healthy summer. I encourage parents to visit TDA’s Summer Meal Programs website and locate a meal site near them.”

More than one in five Texas children face food insecurity and many access free meals at school during the academic year. In partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), TDA administers Summer Meal Programs to ensure the availability of healthy no-cost meals for children throughout the summer months when school is not in session.

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

Text FOODTX to 877-877 for meal site information in English or text COMIDA to 877-877 for information in Spanish.
Visit www.summerfood.org to access an interactive meal site map.
Call 2-1-1 to speak to a live operator in English or Spanish.

Hours, meals and activities vary by site.

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 Program. Meals are provided to individuals 18 years old or younger without charge, as well as adults over the age of 18 who are determined by a state or local educational agency to have a mental or physical disability and who participate in a public or private school program established for people with mental or physical disabilities.

For more information about TDA’s Summer Nutrition 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.

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