About the Summer Meals Collaborative

The Summer Meals Collaborative was launched in 2013 to address childhood hunger by offering FREE meals to ALL kids & teens throughout the summer. United Way of the Greater Capital Region works with local partners to share knowledge, networks, and resources to build a more food-secure landscape in our community.

Summer Meals has served 1.9 Million meals since 2013! Help us raise awareness to add new partners, and meal sites and promote nutrition security in the Capital Region by donating today. 

No Kid Should Go Hungry

Lack of nutritious food, especially at an early age, can have long-lasting effects on a child's education and development. Research shows food insecurity affects both physical and mental health and brain development in children.

Out of the approximately 50,000 children who eat free and reduced-price meals during the school year, less than 1 in 7 access free summer meals.

• 7.3% of New Yorkers reported food insufficiency in the summer of 2021
• 10.8% of New Yorkers reported food insufficiency in the fall of 2022
• 13.4% of New York households with children reported food insufficiency in the fall of 2022

Summer Meals are Essential to Nutrition Security

Rates of food insufficiency have remained elevated for ALICE households since the beginning of the pandemic. ALICE households live above the Federal Poverty Level but don't earn enough to afford a basic survival budget.