COMMISSIONER MILLER ENCOURAGES FAMILIES IN NEED TO ACCESS SUMMER MEALS FOR CHILDREN (6/1/2022)

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. TDA’s partners at schools, food banks and other nonprofit organizations will serve federally funded meals at no cost to children and eligible people with disabilities. These meals provide an important source of nutrition after the academic year ends and many school cafeterias close.

“TDA and our valued partners are helping Texas families ensure children have the good nutrition they need for an active, healthy summer,” Commissioner Miller said. “We want children to stay sharp and energized all summer, so they return to school ready to continue working toward a successful future.”

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

·         Text FOOD or COMIDA to 304-304 for meal site information.

·         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.

In addition to finding a site, 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 are encouraged to call, text, or go online, and 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 Program or the School Breakfast Program. Meals are provided to individuals 18 years old or younger without charge, as well as 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 who participate 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.

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