Despite all the federal and state funding cuts announced so far this year, kids in low-income households will still have access to free breakfast and lunch this summer.
In March the Trump administration said it was eliminating $1 billion in funding for schools and food banks to buy locally grown food. And Indiana Governor Mike Braun opted not to participate again this year in the federal Sun Bucks program that gives poor parents money in the summer to buy food, while Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer this week announced her state is again participating.
But those programs are separate from the federally funded, Indiana State Department of Health-administered Summer Food Service Program. Last summer about 200 sites served about three million meals, many also offering physical and educational activities.
There are 28 sites in Elkhart County this summer, from Mary Freeser Elementary to the north to Goshen’s Reith Park to the south. St. Joseph County will have six sites, including Marian High School in Mishawaka and Career Academy in South Bend.
Most of the sites start serving breakfast and lunch over the next two weeks but exact dates vary. The Indiana Department of Education has released a map of this summer's sites.
