Hungry suburban students to get free summer meals

Students throughout Illinois will receive free nutritious meals and snacks through a program that kicks off this month.

The Illinois State Board of Education administers the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Summer Food Service Program at more than 1,500 sites serving food during the summer months in between school years. Last year, those sites served more than 5.4 million meals.

ISBE partner organizations No Kid Hungry and the Illinois Hunger Coalition will staff a hunger hotline to refer families to nearest meal sites. Interested families can call (800) 359-2163, text "FoodIL" or "ComidasIL" to 877-877, or visit SummerMealsIllinois.org. Days and times of operation vary by site. The program serves children and teens age 18 and younger.

"Summer Meals helps to bridge the gap for children who rely on school breakfast and lunch during the year," State Superintendent of Education Tony Smith said. "ISBE deeply appreciates the Summer Meals sites and sponsors who bring the program to life in hundreds of communities across the state. Research shows that students with access to healthy meals perform better in school."

Research shows healthy students perform better academically, including better grades, attendance, cognitive skills and attitudes.

Officials say there is a need for more program sponsors to help fight food insecurity and the lack of healthy food options in certain communities.

In 2016, 172 Summer Meals sponsors and 135 Seamless Summer Option sponsors administered more than 2,200 meal sites. Yet, Illinois still had 35 counties with no sponsors or meal sites. To become a Summer Meals sponsor site, visit isbe.net/sfsp.