Hunger Task Force’s summer meals program provides Milwaukee youth with free, healthy food — no registration, just show up
The hot mid-morning sun beamed down on children stomping around a splash pad, a group of boys kicking around a soccer ball and dozens of adults competing in recreational softball games. A typical summer day in Milwaukee at Burnham Park.
But hidden from the sun in a shady, grassy area, the park had more to offer on July 15. Community members and their children lined up in front of a van offering whole-grain chicken corn dogs, fruit and vegetables to the kids.
Burnham Park is home to just one of Hunger Task Force’s 180-plus summer meals sites, where for the past two decades Milwaukee County youths have been provided free, healthy meals while school is out of session. No registration is required, and families don’t need to meet any income requirement; you can just show up.
The organization estimates over 500,000 meals will be served to children this summer.
Jonathan Hansen, chief strategy officer at Hunger Task Force, explained that the summer meals program is a community collaboration in which meal sites, recreational facilities, public parks, local nonprofits, federal programs, meal providers and private donors work to ensure three healthy meals per day are served to kids all summer long.
“When kids are away from school meals, that’s suddenly two meals that Mom or Dad or a caretaker suddenly have to make up during the summer months,” Hansen said. “And families who are struggling financially, who have limited resources, that’s a really tough thing.”
Hansen said summer months are the peak time for childhood hunger in Milwaukee, so the collaborative is vital to feeding children and keeping them healthy.
The countywide program sites include both “eat up” and “meet up” components, meaning they offer nutritious meals to youth as well as structured learning opportunities and supervised play activities.
“We all know that kids love to be out in the summer; they love to play,” Hansen said. “They’ve got energy to burn, and so Hunger Task Force makes sure that they not only have healthy meals, but they’re also engaged with programming there.”
Milwaukee resident She C. brought her children, MJ, 8, and Yaya, 5, to receive free meals at Burnham Park. She said she’s used the summer meals program before.
C. said the program is extremely important for kids who don’t have food at home. She also mentioned that it helps her save money.
“It gives us a chance to be able to be out and play and enjoy summer without having to be at home all the time,” C. said.
Sonia Mercado also brought her son to the Burnham Park summer meals site. She said the free lunches are a good way to get Milwaukee youth outside, playing and having fun, instead of being on the streets or inside on a device.
Mercado, like C., thought about children who don’t have food to eat at home. She said she understands that some parents need to work a lot to pay bills, but sometimes feels they worry more about work than feeding their kids.
“I just worry for other kids,” Mercado said. “So far right now, we’re good, but I don’t know the situation for other kids.”
Hunger Task Force’s summer meals collaborative is federally funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture‘s Summer Food Service Program, which provides reimbursement for breakfast and lunch meals throughout the summer. Hansen explained that private donors, such as Kohl’s Department Stores, also chip in to fund dinner meals for youth.
Collaborative planning for the summer begins in January, Hansen said, when partners come together to organize resources and meal sites. The sites are chosen based on high-need areas and are in public spaces accessible to all community members. Street-facing banners and signs mark where the meals can be found.
Through both private funding and the USDA’s federal funding, Hansen said all 180-plus meal sites have solid plans in place to serve meals for the entire summer. He said that the Summer Food Service Program has not been directly impacted by any federal funding cuts at the moment.
Hansen said the community can financially contribute and support the purchase of summer meals and supplies. More information regarding donations and volunteer work can be found at hungertaskforce.org.