Southern Illinois News

In a June 6 Facebook post, Rep. Paul Jacobs (R-Marion) wrote about the availability of summer meals for kids and teens.

“Kids and teens across Illinois can get free meals all summer long,” he wrote on Facebook. “Find a site near you by calling 800-359-2163, texting FOOD or COMIDA to 304-304."

He included the link to the USDA's Summer Meals Site Finder tool. 

The Annie E. Casey Foundation reported approximately 438,000 Illinois children live in poverty.

The National Association of Secondary School Principals reported students living in poverty face more challenges such as health issues, lack of food, and complete homework, to name a few.

The Summer Meals Site Finder Tool allows a user to search for a summer meal site. It also provides resources for breakfast, and afterschool meals. The Summer Food Service Program allows youths up to age 18 to have access to free meals during the summer months. It explains the difference between open meal sites, which allow all individuals 18 and under to obtain meals and do so without signing up, and closed meal sites, which are the ones that require sign ups and possibly a small fee. The free summer meals program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The USDA Summer Food Service Program provides the funding and administers the program at the federal level, while state education agencies oversee the program at the state level and choose the sponsors for local programs. Those often include schools or camps, or even private nonprofits. Those sponsors provide food for children who come to a central site, according to a fact sheet on the Summer Food Service Program from the USDA. The data in the fact sheet notes that the program served 163.4 million meals in the 2015 fiscal year, and an estimated 142.1 million in fiscal year 2019.

Jacobs was first elected to represent the 115th District in 2020. He now represents the newly-drawn 118th District. He is an optometrist and winery owner, as well as a veteran of the U.S. Navy.