Cambridge Summer Food Program Begins Monday, July 1. Program provides free and nutritious meals to Cambridge youth 18 and under.


6/25/2024 • 3 weeks ago

Summer Food Program meal site

Beginning Monday, July 1, the Cambridge Summer Food Program will offer free and nutritious breakfast, lunch, and dinner meals every weekday to Cambridge youth ages 18 and under. Youth do not need to provide identification to receive a meal, and vegetarian options are available at every site. Operated by the City of Cambridge Department of Human Service Programs (DHSP), the Summer Food Program aims to increase food security for Cambridge families during the summer months.

In addition to serving free meals to the public, the program provides breakfast and lunch to eligible summer camps and programs. Last year, the Summer Food Program served more than 61,000 meals to Cambridge youth.

Breakfast and lunch meals will be available at parks throughout the city, where youth can join Cambridge Recreation staff for games, crafts, and activities after enjoying their meal. The Summer Food Program also partners with Cambridge Book Bike to bring story time to a food site each week. Free dinner meals will be provided at Recreation Summer Basketball League locations. Youth do not need to participate in the leagues in order to receive a meal.

Monday through Friday, breakfast meals will be served from 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. and lunch meals will be served from 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. at the following locations:

  • Donnelly Field, 61 Willow St.
  • Fresh Pond Apartments Playground, 362–364 Rindge Ave.
  • Glacken Field, 635 Huron Ave.
  • Gold Star Mothers Park Playground, 123 Gore St.
  • Greene-Rose Heritage Park Playground, 155 Harvard St.
  • Hoyt Field Playground, 13 Gilmore St.
  • Louis A. DePasquale Playground, Danehy Park, 66 Field St.
  • Sennott Park, 310 Broadway
  • Timothy J. Toomey, Jr. Park, 71 Rogers St.

Dinner meals will be served during Cambridge Recreation Summer Basketball Leagues from 6 – 7:30 p.m. on the following weekdays at the following locations:

  • Ahern Field, 104 Fulkerson St.
    Tuesday and Thursday starting July 2

  • Glacken Field, 661 Huron Ave.
    Tuesday and Thursday starting July 2

  • Hoyt Field, 12 Gilmore St.
    Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday starting July 9

  • Sennott Park, 310 Broadway
    Monday and Wednesday starting July 3

The Cambridge Summer Food Program also provides free snacks to families at “Screen on the Green” Summer Movie Nights.

“The Summer Food Program ensures that there is no gap in food access for Cambridge children during summer break,” said Claudia Cruz, Summer Food Program Manager. “We’re proud to offer a multi-dimensional program that not only provides healthy meals to young people, but also invites them to have fun, learn, and enjoy our parks.”

“Over the years, we have provided tens of thousands of free meals to children and youth in Cambridge, and each year the program evolves to meet our community’s needs,” said Ellen Semonoff, Assistant City Manager of Human Services. “We look forward to another successful summer serving meals, encouraging fun, and building community.”

The Summer Food Program will host a kickoff event, featuring games, prizes, and music, on Friday, June 28, from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m., at Donnelly Field, at York Street and Berkshire Street in Cambridge.

For more information about the Summer Food Program, visit: www.cambridgema.gov/SummerFood.