The Department of Education's main focus is, reasonably, educating the next generation. But it also serves another important function: feeding hungry children. And that is true when school is in session and when it is not. In fact, between the end of June and September 2 the city offers free breakfasts and lunches to any child who asks at hundreds of locations across town, no ID or paperwork required. Only problem? This year there are 100 fewer locations available than there were last year!
The Daily News reports that as part of the DoE's recent budget trimming, which included taking $10.8 million from its food budget, there are only 372 no-strings Summer Meals spots operating this year, down 22 percent from the 478 working in 2010 (there are more than 1,000 free summer meal locations around the city, but most are for kids affiliated with summer school and day camp programs).
The DoE, while acknowledging the reduction in free summer meal locations, explains that the situation is about resources. "Our goal is to serve as many children as possible, and keeping underutilized locations open doesn't make sense if we can direct those resources to locations where we can serve more children," spokesperson Margie Feinberg said.
There is no question that reduced locations will make it harder for many children to eat this summer. But it is worth noting that there are still hundreds of locations available across the five boroughs. If you or someone you know has a hungry child, you can find the nearest active locations for free breakfast and lunch services here or you can call 311.
