BOSTON - Friday, June
18, 2021- Mayor Kim Janey and the Mayor’s Office of Food Access (OFA) today
announced that 53 Boston Summer Eats Program meal sites will open on June 21, 2021, with
an additional 14 sites opening later in the summer. The Boston Summer Eats
program is an innovative effort to lessen the summer food gap by increasing
the availability of non-traditional meal sites. The program launched in
2017 with the goal to expand access to free and healthy meals for youth and
teens in Boston.
“Ensuring continued
food access to our children and youth throughout the summer after school
closes is vital to their wellbeing,” said Mayor Janey. “Thank you to all of
the community-based organizations for their partnership with the City of
Boston in creating access across our city for all our children.”
Residents who wish
to access free meals for youth aged 18 and under can find sites at www.boston.gov/summer-eats or find additional locations across the state by texting
“Food” or “Comida” to 877-877. Hours of operation vary depending on the site,
and most meal sites are currently offering breakfast and lunch. Parents can
pick up meals for youth who are not present. No registration or
identification is required. This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, meals
will be taken off-site, rather than eaten in a congregate meal setting at
the site.
The Boston Summer
Eats program is led by the Mayor’s Office of Food Access (OFA) in
partnership with Project Bread, the Greater Boston YMCA, and Massachusetts
Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and is sponsored by the
Boston Children's Hospital. Other partners involved in the 2021 Boston
Summer Eats program include: Boston Public Library (BPL), Boston Housing
Authority (BHA), and Boston Public Schools (BPS).
Last summer, the
program served 1,894,748 meals across 91 sites in 16 neighborhoods. Among
the 97 sites, there were 23 non-traditional sites, including certain Boston
Housing Authority properties, farmers markets, community and faith-based
organizations, and Boston City Hall. This year meal sites include six
Boston Housing Authority properties, 14 Boston Public Schools, eight Boston
Centers for Youth & Families (BCYF) sites, eight YMCA sites, four
farmers markets, 30 community- and faith-based organizations, and three
Boston Public Library locations throughout 17 neighborhoods.
“I am grateful for
all the support we have had from all of our Boston Summer Eats program
partners,” said Catalina López-Ospina, Mayor’s Office of Food Access
Director “Together, we are reducing food insecurity one child at a time and
making healthy summer meals accessible to all.”
Additionally, this
summer, the Pandemic EBT will be available for families when schools are
closed. All K-12 students who received P-EBT this school year will receive
a total of $375 in P-EBT benefits in two equal payments of $187.50 this
summer. The first payment will be issued on July 1 and the second payment
will be issued on August 1. Also, families who receive SNAP and received
P-EBT this year for their children ages 0 through 6 will also receive two
summer P-EBT payments of $187.50, totaling $375 for the summer. P-EBT
payments for these children will be made on July 25 and August 25. For more
information residents can visit www.map-ebt.org.
These funds will go
directly to residents’ P-EBT card or SNAP/EBT card if they are enrolled in
SNAP. Residents are encouraged to keep their P-EBT cards even when they
have used all the funds, in case benefits are added in the future. These
funds can be used to purchase groceries anywhere EBT or SNAP is accepted.
Residents can download the Fresh EBT app to find nearby stores and farmer’s markets
that accept EBT.
For more information
about Food Access resources in Boston, visit here.
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