Program Administration: Federal program administered nationally by U.S. Department of Agriculture is administered in Connecticut by the Bureau of Health and Nutrition Services at the State Department of Education, which contracts with local “Sponsors” who manage the individual feeding sites.
Program Description: Federally funded free summer food program for children ages 0-18. (18 year olds ARE included.) Children with disabilities are eligible through age 21. Most sites are “open” sites, and they do not restrict by address or income. “Closed” sites are limited to the children enrolled in the program and are not open to any other children.
Meals are served Monday-Friday. Meals are offered at hundreds of sites around the state from June to late August, serving combinations of breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. There is no charge for any of the meals.
Who is Eligible?
How to Obtain Service: Go to the site; It is not necessary to pre-register; Also, you can call the program sponsor to verify times, meals served and addresses.
For Problems Accessing Service at a Site, Contact DOE’s Bureau of Health and Nutrition Services.
To Find Sites:
End Hunger Connecticut! maintains a Summer Meal Site locator, which is generally populated with information by the end of June each year.
Visit the End Hunger Connecticut! website for Summer Meals across Connecticut. The link on the website will be updated each year when the sites are updated by the Connecticut Department of Education with current summer meal sites: https://www.endhungerct.org/resources/summer-meals/
SOURCE: Connecticut Department of Education, Bureau of Health and Nutrition Services; End Hunger Connecticut!
PREPARED BY: 211/tb
CONTENT LAST REVIEWED: June2025