Free meals for kids and teens are available in your neighborhood this summer!
Free Summer Meals programs are offered at the places where your family lives, learns and plays—including schools, parks, community centers and faith-based organizations. Summer Meals are open to all families. Many sites also offer fun activities that help kids stay active and engaged when school is out.
Find your nearest Free Summer Meals site below and learn how to access other food resources in your community this summer.
Sites can change during the summer; check availability and full site listing: Visit summermealsny.org, Call 2-1-1 or Text FOOD to 304-304
Albany Center Gallery for a Community Art Project
Tuesday's & Wednesday's at Creighton Storey Homes
Breakfast: 8:45-10:30
Art Activity: 10:00-1:00
Lunch: 12:00-1:15
Join other Summer Meals participants at Creighton Storey Homes as we sped the summer working on an eight-foot mural spelling DREAM BIG.
Kids will work on 1'x1' letters each week; see the themes below for each week! There is no cost to participate and is available to kids and teens 18 years and younger.
Summer Art Schedule:
Week 1 & 2 Theme: Painting
Week 3 Theme: Abstract with guest DJ
Weeks 4 & 5 Theme: Drumming and Dancing
Week 6 Theme: Print Art
Week 7 Theme: TBD
Week 8 Theme: Finished Projects
Finalizing the mural and DREAM BIG tiles from each week and getting ready for the September showcase.
About the Summer Meals Collaborative
UWGCR's Summer Meals Collaborative brings together health and human service organizations, community partnerships, families, advocates, researchers, and local governments to leverage resources and information to ensure kids don't go hungry and stay active when school is out!
The Collaborative offers free, healthy meals to kids and teens through summer. Our partner agencies provide the sites and serve meals in public locations throughout the Capital Region. Many Summer Meals sites offer breakfast, lunch, and/or a snack. Adults are welcome to bring their lunch and eat along with their kids. Many places that provide Summer Meals have fun, enriching activities for the kids.
Learn more about what the Summer Meals Collaborative tells us about the issue of hunger in the Capital Region.
Help us spread the word!
Below is a toolkit of images you can use on your social channels to help us spread the word about Summer Meals, so every kid has an opportunity to take part this summer!
Social Media
GIVE
Your gift goes directly towards supporting our goal to provide healthy, nutritious, and culturally appropriate foods, as well as providing fun programming at meal sites to nourish the mind and stay active.
DONATE NOW
ADVOCATE
Temporary pandemic provisions at the federal level allowed Summer Meals sites to be flexible in how they were able to serve their community with grab-and-go and mobile food options, ultimately serving more kids and families. The Summer Meals Collaborative and organizations like Hunger Solutions New York are working hard to make provisions permanent and increase resources for child nutrition programs.
VOLUNTEER
There are Summer Meals sites and other summer learning volunteer opportunities that could use your help. See how you can get involved through UnitedtoVolunteer.org
Summer Meals is supported by
Collaborative Members
Albany Center Gallery - Activity Partner
Boys & Girls Club of Capital Area
CAPTAIN Community Human Services
C.R.E.A.T.E. Community Studios- Activity Partner
New York State Education Department
Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York
Rensselaer County Dept. for Youth
Russel Sage College - Research Partner
Schenectady Community Ministries
Schenectady City School District
Siena College - Research Partner
