Children ages 18 and under can receive free meals at five different locations in the far Northeast Heights. The free meals are part of the Summer Food Service Program administered by the New Mexico Early Childhood Education & Care Department Family Nutrition Bureau to help address the gap in children’s nutritional needs.
According to feedingamerica.org, one in five children in New Mexico face hunger, and food insecurity rates have increased since the COVID-19 pandemic began. A 2021 Feeding America report shows that in 2020 the food insecurity rate in Bernalillo County was 25%, a 5% increase from the previous year.
“New Mexico has long had one of the worst rates of child food insecurity in the country,” writes Derek Lin in a New Mexico Voices for Children report. “In 2020, 26% of New Mexico children experienced food insecurity, which is up from pre-COVID-19 levels of 22%.”
The Summer Food Service Program is one tool being used to help combat food insecurity in the state. The program is federally funded and administered nationally by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. “The primary purpose of the program is to provide free meals to children, 18 years of age or under, from needy areas during the periods when area schools are closed for vacation during the summer months, during USDA authorized extension of the program and at other times when unanticipated school closures occur,” an NM ECECD press release says.
A typical breakfast includes half a cup of fruit or fruit juice, a serving of grain such as cereal, and a half-pint of milk. A typical lunch or supper includes two ounces of meat or meat alternate, a serving of fruit, a vegetable, bread and a half-pint of milk. Meals are served on a first-come, first-serve basis. For more information, visit summerfoodnm.org.
The five locations in the far Northeast Heights offering free meals are:
Ranchos De Palomas Park, 7775 Palomas Park Ave. NE
Lunch will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. June 21-24 and June 27-30.
Coronado Village Mobile Home Park, 8401 Pan American Frwy. NE
Lunch will be served from noon to 1 p.m. June 21-24 and June 27-30.
Jade Park, 6700 San Francisco Road NE
Lunch will be served 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. June 21-24 and June 27-30.
Sister Cities Park, 6407 McKinney Drive NE
Lunch will be served from noon to 1 p.m. June 21-24 and June 27-30.
Dennis Chavez Elementary, 7500 Barstow NE
Breakfast will be served from 7:05-7:15 a.m. Monday through Friday, July 1-29.
Lunch will be served from 10-10:25 p.m. Monday through Friday.
