Summer Meal Programs

Summer shouldn’t be the hungriest time of the year.

Get access to nutritious food when school is out for the summer with free summer meals and Summer EBT.

SUN MEALS & SUN MEALS TO GO provide free meals
for kids and teens across Kentucky each summer.

Free summer meals programs are offered at locations where your family lives, learns, and plays-including schools, parks, community centers, and faith-based organizations.

Free summer meal programs are open to all families and don’t ask for any paperwork – kids can just drop in and grab a meal. Many sites also offer fun activities that help kids stay active and engaged when school is out.

What are SUN Meals & SUN Meals To Go?

The Free Summer Meals program is a federal program that reimburses local governments, school districts, and private nonprofits to provide healthy meals to youth in low-income communities. Meal sites can be located at schools, parks, community centers, housing complexes, libraries, places of worship, and other places where kids learn and play during the summer months. In rural communities, meals can be provided through grab-and-go distributions and home delivery.

Search Sun Meals & Sun Meals To Go Flyers

This summer program is available in nearly every county across Kentucky, providing exciting opportunities for students and families. To find details about your local program, select your county to learn more about site-specific offerings and activities.

Search by Kentucky County

Boyle County

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Breathitt County

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Breckinridge County

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Butler County

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Campbell County

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Carroll County

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Estill County

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Fleming County

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Franklin County

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Garrard County

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Grant County

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Hardin County

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Henry County

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Jackson County

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Jefferson County

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Jessamine County

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LaRue County

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Livingston County

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Meade County

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Montgomery County

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Muhlenberg County

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Rockcastle County

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Taylor County

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Wayne County

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Get Involved

One in 5 Kentucky kids lack at times access to enough food for an active, healthy life. Every county in Kentucky is home to some of these kids at an increased risk of hunger. When the school year ends, food insecure kids lose consistent access to adequate nutrition provided through school meals. SUN Meals and SUN Meals To Go are more than just free meals – they help solve the problem of childhood hunger without drawing attention to need or stigmatizing kids for their hardship. Community organizations, faith-based groups, local governmental agencies, elected officials, family & friends, and, most importantly, you can help ensure Kentucky kids have a hunger-free summer by bridging the summer nutrition in five ways.

Many organizations already have a relationship with families and can connect them with resources available in communities. To find meal sites in your community, call 1-866-3HUNGRY or check out online tools including the USDA Summer Meals for Kids Site Finder Tool. If you are a teacher, childcare professional, cooperative extension agent, local health department worker or family resource and youth service center coordinator, you can encourage participation in SUN Meals and SUN Meals to Gk sites through your own programming or help build local support for summer meals in your community. The No Kid Hungry Kentucky campaign has a summer meal outreach toolkit with customizable flyers, posters, bookmarks, media releases, newsletters, op-eds and PSAs as well as summer meal planning resources to help you do both. Regardless of how you communicate, emphasize that this opportunity is available to all children 0-18 years old—regardless of income, race, religion or nationality.

If your organization already provides services to the community, has capable staff and good management practices to run a food service, you can sponsor SUN Meals and SUN Meals To Go. Schools, food banks, YMCAs, camps, faith-based and other non-profit community organizations make great sponsors. If you are interested in being a sponsor, complete the SUN Meals Program Interest Survey before April of the following summer. The Kentucky Department of Education, who administers the SUN Meals and SUN Meals to Go programs, will follow up with you.

Sites are safe, inclusive places in the community where children participate in activities and receive meals under supervision. Sites work together with sponsors and may be located in a variety of settings, including schools, parks, community centers, churches, farmers markets, police stations, libraries and housing projects. Zoom in to find SUN Meals and SUN Meals To Go site locations available in your community. Additional sites can get started at any point during the summer, so if you see a need, join us by contacting the your local summer meals sponsor or SUN Meals office.

We understand that not everyone is great fit for a sponsor or site role commitment, but any individual or organization can assist with packing meal boxes, meal delivery, activities, events and outreach. Volunteers can help transport food, set up/clean up the space, plan and lead recreational activities, print flyers, find free incentives through community donations, or organize fundraisers at local churches, meetings and charity groups. These volunteer roles are what transform a free meal into a fun, summertime experience. For find out ways to get involved, contact your local SUN Meals and SUN Meals To Go site location.  

The best way to support SFSP in our communities is to participate routinely. Summer meals are about bringing friends together over a shared meal and showing our children that it’s important for all of us to eat healthy meals even when school is not in session. Make SFSP is your preferred option for feeding your kids this summer; organize a group of neighborhood friends to walk up to the site together; rally other parents and caregivers to sign up non-congregate meal boxes if available in your community, or simply share the information with your neighbors, parent teacher associations and family friends through social media. Many SFSP sponsors across Kentucky are school nutrition programs within school districts and local community organizations which may be familiar to you already. Be sure to like the Facebook and other social media pages of these organizations as SFSP sponsors often use their social media accounts to distribute information about SFSP.

Expectations for Summer 2025

Children receiving meals at a SUN Meals location are required to eat their food on-site. The goal is to socialize and congregate with other people while eating. Food cannot be taken off-site or brought home.

Food served through SUN Meals to Go can be brought home or eaten elsewhere. It is not required to eat at your location.

Though the location of specific sites may have changed over the last few years, the core of the Free Summer Meals program remains – all children 18 and under receive a free meal. There is absolutely zero paperwork, fee, sign-up, proof of identity, or legal status required.

Families can bring their children every day during the summer, and not only ensure they enjoy a free meal (or two), but also join in fun activities to keep their bodies and minds engaged like sports, arts & crafts, and more.

Some sites may also offer additional resources for older family members. Check the map below to find when sites near you are open and which meals they serve!

Federal program rules require that kids and teens be present to receive a meal and eat it on-site at most sites. Eligible rural sites have the option of serving meals that can be taken off-site through a grab & go model. These sites may also offer even more convenient options such as home delivery or parent pick-up.

Some grab and go meal options may ask you to register to help keep track of how many meals they’re serving, but there are still no income requirements or eligibility restrictions, and information is not shared.

Grab-and-Go sites are highlighted in orange on the Site Finder.

For so many families, summer means an increased cost of food averaging around $300 per month. This burden on families may mean having to choose between groceries and other basic needs.

The Free Summer Meals program provides an opportunity to continue a child’s physical and social development while providing nutritious meals during long vacation periods from school. It helps children return to school ready to learn. Without this program, children who rely on meals at school may experience “summer slide” where they are at risk of losing some of the achievement gains from they made during the school year.

Because this program is open to all children 18 and under, any family can participate and get to know their neighbors and community.

SUN Bucks, or Summer EBT, is a new federal program that provides grocery benefits to families during the summer months. If your child is eligible for free or reduced-price school meals, you can receive $120 per summer per eligible child and use the debit-style EBT card to purchase food at your local grocery stores, farmers markets, and online.

The Free Summer Meals program and SUN Bucks work together to help kids and families. Your family can participate in both Free Summer Meals and SUN Bucks — you don’t have to choose just one program.

Find Food

Kentucky Kids Eats provides summer meals and nutrition across the state for eligible families. Learn about your eligibility and what resources are available in your area.

Find Help

Additional resources are for children and students throughout the state. Learn about additional programs below.

USDA National Hunger Hotline | Food and Nutrition Service

The USDA aids low-income individuals by providing food assistance and other nutrition service information through phone calls and text.

Did you know?

Summer EBT is an additional food resource that can be used in combination with SUN Meals and SUN Meals to Go? Summer EBT is a federal program that supports families who lose access to free school meals over the summer months. Families will receive an allotment of money for each eligible child to help cover the cost of groceries when school is out of session.

Resources

  • No Kid Hungry Promotion Tools
  • USDA More Summer Smiles Promotion Tool

About Feeding Kentucky

Feeding Kentucky is the state’s largest charitable response to hunger, working collectively to create a hunger-free Kentucky. Our network of seven Feeding America food banks provides food and groceries to Kentuckians facing hunger in all 120 counties. Through more than 900 partner food pantries and meal programs, we reach an estimated 1 in 7 Kentuckians each year. We focus on addressing child hunger, sourcing food from our Kentucky farmers, and advocating for policies that reflect the needs of our neighbors. Guided by our vision, we want all people in Kentucky to have access to enough food to thrive.