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Free meals for your child are just a text away this summer

Posted at 2:32 PM, Jun 17, 2019
and last updated 2019-06-17 16:38:22-04

NORFOLK, Va. - It's all hustle and bustle inside the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia, where pallets of food are being pumped out, soon to be transformed into hundreds of healthy meals.

"During the school year, there are over 93,000 children in our area who are eligible for free and reduced price meals, but only about 15% of those children will access summer feeding sites," said CEO Ruth Jones Nichols.

School is out - which, unfortunately, means summer can be the hungriest time of the year for many children and teens.

Related: Free meals for kids offered through the summer at designated Virginia Beach schools

"It's a huge problem here in our service area," said Jones Nichols.

That's why the food bank is stepping up, keeping the wolves of hunger at bay by partnering with the USDA and No Kid Hungry to fill bellies with tasty food at more than 14 feeding sites.

"These sites will serve about 1,000 children healthy, nutritious meals through the summer," said Jones Nichols.

Finding the free food sites is easy. You can call 211 or just text the word FOOD to 877-877, pop in your zip code and you will get a run down of the places and times you can go for free food all summer long.

"Families always express gratitude when they come to the food bank or a site when they can access healthy, nutritious meals," said Jones Nichols.

Free breakfast and lunch meals will be available to all children ages 18 years and younger at certain Virginia Beach City Public Schools locations this summer.