Summer school campers eat lunch together outside on the first day of Chicago Public School’s summer lunch program at Newton Bateman Elementary School on June 24, 2024, in Chicago. All Chicago children between the ages of one and 18 can access free and nutritious meals through the District’s LunchStop program from now until Aug. 9th.
LunchStop is funded by the Summer Food Service Program, a national program funded by the United States Department of Agriculture and administered by the Illinois State Board of Education. SFSP reimburses organizations for providing meals to low-income children when school is not in session. District officials tried to choose outdoor sites near migrant shelters for the LunchStop program, according to Britten. “Thinking about the different demographics of the city, we tried to pick outdoor sites according to that too.”
The district does not track the number of children receiving free lunches during summer break, a spokesman told the Tribune.