Summer Food Program Served 80,000+ Meals to Cambridge Youth

Thursday, February 13, 2025

Food insecurity and wellness are critical priorities of the City, particularly during the summer months when school is out of session. That’s where the Cambridge Summer Food Program, operated by the Department of Human Service Programs, fills a potential void. The goal is simple: ensure that Cambridge youth have access to healthy meals during the summer months. Through the program, free and nutritious meals are made available to Cambridge youth ages 18 and younger every weekday during the summer.

The scale is not insignificant. Between July 1 and August 30, 2024, the Summer Food Program provided more than 80,000 meals to Cambridge youth. This included 74,350 free breakfast and lunch meals served at nine parks across the city and 5,749 free dinner meals served at Recreation's Youth Basketball and Youth Street Hockey League locations. The program also provided free lunch meals to 40 local summer camps and free snacks to community members who attended “Screen on the Green” family movie nights.

In addition to healthy meals, the program provides a variety of recreational activities. Youth can join Recreation staff for games and activities in the parks while breakfast and lunch meals are being served. The program also hosts Cambridge Book Bike – a collaboration between the Agenda for Children Literacy Initiative, Center for Families, and Cambridge Public Library – at a Summer Food meal site each week. Through Cambridge Book Bike, children can enjoy story time and access free books.

Summer Food Program Served 80,000+ Meals to Cambridge Youth

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