Worcester Kids Eat Free This Summer
Summer Eats Provides Free Meals to Youth Age 18 and Under
WORCESTER — Tuesday, June 17, 2025 — Worcester Public Schools and Friendly House will provide free meals to children and teenagers under 18 years old in the city of Worcester from June 23 until August 15 as part of the Summer Eats program.
A full list of locations and service times is available on the Worcester Public Schools Summer Eats webpage.
Summer Eats assists families by providing free meals to children and teens to ensure they continue growing, learning, and thriving over summer break. Participating meal providers, like Worcester Public Schools and the Friendly House, operate and staff meal sites, often in conjunction with activities and educational programming.
This year, summer meal sites are operating a communal model of feeding kids onsite. Anyone under the age of 18 is welcome. No registration or identification is required. Summer Eats can be accessed in conjunction with SUN Bucks, additional funding for groceries while kids are out of school.
In 2024, more than 2.8 million meals were served across over 1,450 sites statewide through the Summer Eats program.
“Ensuring our students have access to nutritious meals, even when school is out, is fundamental to their well-being and continued success,” said Brian Allen, Incoming Superintendent of Worcester Public Schools. “The Summer Eats program is a critical component of our commitment to supporting the whole child, and we are grateful for the partnerships that make this vital service possible for our community.”
“Summer should be a time of joy, growth, and opportunity—not hunger. Through the Summer Eats program, Worcester Public Schools is proud to provide free, nutritious meals to every child and teen in our city,” said Robert Shaheen, Director of Nutrition for Worcester Public Schools. “Thanks to strong community partnerships and dedicated staff, we’re making it easier for families to access healthy food all summer long—at schools, parks, libraries, and even local farmers markets.”
For more than 20 years, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and statewide food security nonprofit Project Bread have partnered to support meal providers in offering Summer Eats meals to children in Massachusetts. Throughout the school year, the nonprofit and DESE also partner to expand access to and participation in school meal programs. This year, Project Bread has granted a total of $236,482 to 48 Summer Eats sponsors for their program development and capacity-building, such as elevated promotion and social media campaigns, creative engagement ideas, new partnerships, and enhanced summer menu items.
“Summer is better when we can all eat together. The Summer Eats program is a vital investment in our children’s futures, making sure they have access to nutritious, delicious food at no cost to their families, even when schools are out,” says Erin McAleer, President & CEO of Project Bread, Massachusetts’ leading food security organization. “Summer Eats meal providers like Worcester Public Schools and the Friendly House support their communities, help ease families’ budgets, and bring fun summer programming together with healthy, accessible meals each day, an essential service to move the needle on ending hunger in the Commonwealth.”
Worcester Public Schools (WPS) serves nearly 25,000 Pre-K through Grade 12 students across nearly 50 schools and programs in New England's second-largest city. With a community-minded approach, WPS fosters engagement across diverse voices and provides a nurturing environment for students who speak over 70 languages. Committed to innovation, technology, and collaboration, WPS prepares its scholars for a future-ready workforce and a vibrant community.
About Friendly House
Founded as a settlement house in 1920, the mission of Friendly House is to further the educational, social, individual and family development of residents of Worcester, Massachusetts. Our focus is on helping the entire family, especially those under-served and under-resourced. The Friendly House provides afterschool and Out-of-school programs for kids ages 6-18, emergency housing and shelter support for families, individualized social services, and food security programs to families and youth across Worcester.
About Project Bread
Project Bread connects people and communities in Massachusetts to reliable sources of food while advocating for policies that make food more accessible—so that no one goes hungry. Summer Eats is one of the many nutrition programs they support. Any resident of Massachusetts struggling to afford food or worrying they might run out before they have money to buy more can call Project Bread’s FoodSource Hotline for help in 180+ languages (1-800-645-8333) or send a confidential chat on www.gettingsnap.com for compassionate, personalized assistance. Counselors are available Monday - Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. There is also a dedicated line is available to those who are hearing impaired. For more information, visit: www.projectbread.org.