Nearly 1 in 8 children in Philadelphia experiences food insecurity. The pandemic has created new challenges for families and children, and giving families easy access to free, nutritious food is one of the best ways that we can support each other right now.
It’s easy to serve free meals to children under 18 this summer. You can host a summer meal site for children on your block, in your community, or at your organization.
Hosting a meal site is free. All you have to contribute is your time!
The following Philadelphia site sponsors can work with you to bring summer meals to your neighborhood or summer program:
Philadelphia Parks & Recreation Summer Meal Program
Parks & Rec is now accepting applications from summer camps, community programs, and residents interested in becoming a PlayStreets supervisor!
The volunteer-led summer meal program is a great way to bring healthy food and safe recreation to children on your block.
To be considered for PlayStreets, you must:
- Live on a small, one-way street.
- Take part in the summer food program.
- Open and close the street to traffic each weekday.
- Have less than 25 percent of residents submit an objection to the creation of the PlayStreet.
You must fill out an application to be considered for Playstreets status. All applications must go through an approval process before a Playstreets permit is issued.
For information on becoming a summer meal site or to request an application to host a Playstreet, call the Parks & Rec Summer Food Program at (215) 685-2725 or (215) 685-2726.
Nutritional Development Services (NDS)
NDS works with a wide variety of summer programs, organizations, and outdoor neighborhood meal sites to provide nutritious meals to children during the summer. NDS will also have meal kits available containing seven days of breakfast and lunch for sites to distribute once a week.
To learn more about the program and eligibility requirements, review NDS’ Frequently Asked Questions.
- Ready to get started? Call NDS at (215)-895-3470, Option 1
