Three Square Food Bank To Ensure Summer Meals For CCSD Students In Need With “Meet Up And Eat Up” Program

In addition to providing food to children who rely on free and reduced-price lunch during the regular school year, Three Square Food Bank and its community partners will supply meals during the summer through its "Meet Up and Eat Up" program. From Tuesday, May 23 through Friday, Aug. 4, the program will supply free, nutritious summer meals to children in need and encompasses the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP).

With a significant number of families still struggling to put food on their tables, thousands of Clark County School District (CCSD) students continue to rely on free or reduced-price meals. Every summer when school ends, these kids are at risk of being food insecure. Currently, one in four children live in a food-insecure household. Funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and administered by the Nevada Department of Agriculture, "Meet Up and Eat Up" bridges the gap to prevent childhood hunger during the summer months.

"Summer vacation is meant for kids to relax and have fun, but instead, countless kids in our community are left worrying about where their next meal will come from once the school year ends," said Lisa Segler, PhD, chief strategy officer of Three Square. "Our mission at Three Square is to ensure that kids in food insecure households have convenient, year-round access to nutritious meals, and with the help of our community partners, we are making that happen."

"Meet Up and Eat Up" sites offer free, nutritious meals for children 18 years of age or younger across the valley. Locations include parks and recreation centers, Boys & Girls Clubs, libraries, day camps and apartment complexes. Three Square will also provide meals to select apartment complexes using refrigerated vans to reach kids near home. The menu includes 20 rotating meal varieties and sites may offer breakfast, lunch or both. Meals will be provided to all children without charge and are the same for all children regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability, and there will be no discrimination in the course of the meal service. Meals will be provided, on a first come, first served basis. With the help of volunteers and partners, Three Square will pack approximately 20,000 summer meals between Monday and Friday each week during the summer.

For a comprehensive list of locations, please visit freesummerfood.org. Southern Nevada residents are also encouraged to call the Three Square Center for more information at 702.765.4030 Monday-Friday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

About Three Square Food Bank

A national model project inspired by Founder Eric Hilton with a grant provided by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, Three Square is Southern Nevada's only food bank and largest hunger relief organization, serving Las Vegas and all of Clark, Lincoln, Esmeralda and Nye counties. Since opening in 2007, Three Square has provided more than 550 million pounds of food to hundreds of thousands of people in need and earned a reputation as one of the most efficient and effective food banks in the country. Three Square is a community collaborative partnership with businesses, nonprofit agencies, food distributors, higher education institutions, the Clark County School District, governmental entities, the media and thousands of volunteers working together to support food-insecure Southern Nevadans. Last year, Three Square provided over 45 million pounds of food, the equivalent of nearly 38 million meals, through its network of community partners. A member of the Feeding America network of food banks, Three Square remains committed to its mission of providing wholesome food to hungry people, while passionately pursuing a hunger-free community. If you or someone you know needs food assistance or wants to learn more about Three Square's vision of a community where no one is hungry, please connect at threesquare.org.

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