Summer Food Program

Our Summer Food Program offers free, nutritionally balanced meals at our community centers and other various locations during the summer months. (Dates and times can vary.) Last summer, more than 245,000 meals were served in the Columbus area.

Information

Meals are served to anyone between the ages of 1–18. Meals are also available for anyone ages 18-21 who has been determined by a state or local public educational agency to be mentally or physically disabled and involved in an independent education program.

Families in need can call 866-3-HUNGRY (Español: 877-8-HAMBRE) or text 914-342-7744 with a question that contains a keyword such as “food,” “summer,” “meals,” etc. and receive a text back that will show free meal sites closest to them.

Download information here: EnglishSpanish and Somali.

Locations

Want to be a site host?

Is your organization interested in becoming a Columbus Recreation and Parks Summer Lunch Program Site?

2024 Go, Lunch! site applications are now CLOSED

Summer is just around the corner and we’re gearing up to serve hundreds of thousands of meals to children in this community. Columbus Recreation & Parks Department sponsors summer meals across the Central Ohio community with Go, Lunch! This program open to any not for profit organization that serves, or would like to serve, children breakfast, lunch and/or snack meals as a Go, Lunch! site alongside their summer program activities. Each site must submit a site application, proof of nonprofit status and liability insurance.

Partner with us ! For questions about Go, Lunch! , please contact us at (614) 645-3642 or FoodOffice@columbus.gov.

Disclaimers

Columbus Recreation and Parks Department participates in the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). Meals will be provided to all children without charge and are the same for all children regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability, and there will be no discrimination in the course of the meal service.

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

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