The Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County will partner with Meals on Wheels to help feed children this summer through its Kids Cafe program.
Ellie Dinh, Second Harvest's Director of Programs and Services, told KNX News the program provides free meals for all kids 18 years and younger at 46 sites across the county, from June through August.
“So those kids are getting access to fresh fruits and vegetables and milk and, you know, sandwiches and wraps and different menu items that are filling their bellies up and giving them that access to healthy food that they need so much,” she said.
Dinh also explained why it’s so important to provide food while kids are out of school.
“We know that in Orange County, half of all public school children are accessing and really relying on school meals during the school year, and so when they're out of school for summer, there's then that nutrition gap where they're not getting that consistent access to that food,” she said. “And so we help step up during the summer to fill that gap.”
Last summer, the program provided more than 53,000 meals to children throughout Orange County.
For more information on the program, including a current list of where food can be picked up, click here.
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