HOUSTON — This summer, the Houston Food Bank will once again offer free, healthy meals to children and students with disabilities through the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). The program is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and managed in Texas by the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA). It aims to ensure children who depend on school meals continue receiving proper nutrition during the long summer break.
Houston Food Bank expects to serve approximately 800,000 meals—about 10,000 meals daily—across 158 sites throughout the summer.
“Nearly two million food-insecure children in Texas do not have regular access to nutritious food,” said Jourdan Stansberry, senior manager of Education Programs at Houston Food Bank. “To help address this, we provide meals through community partners during the school year and summer. This year’s Summer Food Service Program starts on June 2.”
In addition to traditional congregate feeding sites where children eat together, Houston Food Bank is also operating two rural, noncongregate meal sites at Sealy Christian Pantry in Sealy and Faith Mission WIC in Brenham. The noncongregate model allows children to pick up meals to take home, increasing access for families who face challenges reaching congregate locations daily.
At noncongregate sites, meals are distributed in five-day bundles. Parents or guardians picking up meals without their children may be asked to show proof of school enrollment, such as report cards, enrollment letters, or birth certificates.
The Houston Food Bank is one of many nonprofit organizations partnering with the TDA to provide summer meals across Texas. Families can find meal sites by:
- Calling Houston Food Bank at 713-223-3700 or emailing [email protected]
- Visiting Houston Food Bank’s Kids Cafe page
- Calling 2-1-1 to speak to a live operator
- Using the Texas Department of Agriculture Summer Meal Site Map
Eligible organizations sponsoring meal sites include schools, faith-based groups, nonprofit camps, government agencies, and other tax-exempt entities serving communities where at least 50% of children qualify for free or reduced-price school meals.
By providing nutritious meals during the summer, these programs help children stay healthy and ready to succeed when they return to school in the fall.
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