Here's How LA Kids And Teens Can Get Free Lunches Thoughout Summer

Summer break brings to mind sunny days at the beach and leisurely backyard barbecues. But for some minors, it also means weeks without nutritious food.

In Los Angeles County, about 886,692 students are dependent on school lunches to eat and are eligible for free or reduced-price meals, according to the California Department of Education. That’s 62% of the school population.

To fill the gap and reduce child hunger while school is out, free lunches and snacks are already available at 47 L.A. County Parks and 15 L.A. County Libraries on weekdays through August 25, along with 23 locations throughout Long Beach and Signal Hill.

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Free meals will also be served at more than 20 schools, libraries, and community centers in Pasadena, Altadena, and Sierra Madre. Children and teens do not need to be enrolled in Pasadena schools to receive a meal.

The nutritious food includes vegetables, fruit and milk. There are no residency or income restrictions, but meals must be eaten at the location.

“We’ve noticed in past years a large number of families in the Antelope Valley take advantage of the program,” said Kristi Samuelson, youth services special projects coordinator with L.A. County Libraries. She estimates the libraries alone will serve 40,000 meals over the eight week period.

“We’ve also noticed a large number in the Rowland Heights area as well, so that just shows it’s in demand across the county,” she said.

Food will be served at Norwalk Library, among 14 other library locations.

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Mayra Beltran Vasquez

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Courtesy of Los Angeles County Library

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In order for participating parks or libraries to qualify for the program, they must be within the geographical boundaries of elementary, middle, or high school attendance areas where at least half of the students are eligible for free or reduced-price school meals.

The Summer Food Service Program for Children is funded through USDA and administered by the California Department of Education.

More households in LA are food insecure 

As of July 2022, more than 24% of L.A. County households were food insecure in the past year, according to the University of Southern California’s Understanding America Study.

Researchers found the majority of residents who experienced food insecurity in L.A. County are low-income and identified as female, Hispanic/Latina between 18 and 40 years old. About 4 in 10 have children in their household.

When asked how the rise in food and grocery prices changed the foods they bought, 38% of respondents said they bought lower-quality food to save money, and 42% bought less food overall.

As people turn to less nutritious and cheaper food, California’s teen obesity rate continues to rise. It jumped from 31% in the 2018-2019 school year to 35% in 2020-21.