Feeding the Gulf Coast provides free meals to children during summer months

BILOXI, Miss. (WXXV) – Feeding the Gulf Coast hosted a Summer Meals Celebration for local children ages 18 and younger. The event offered fun activities alongside free meals. 

Feeding the Gulf Coast partners with local community organizations to provide free meals to children, 18 and younger, through the Summer Meals Program. The program is supported by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). It is designed to fill the nutritional gap when children are out of school during summer months and do not have access to free or reduced-price breakfasts and lunches at school. This program has a significant impact on South Mississippi, where nearly 19% of residents struggle with hunger, and the state leads the nation in food insecurity.

“As summer comes, many children who rely on school meals face the painful reality of hunger instead of the carefree days of summer they should be able to enjoy,” said Michael Ledger, President and CEO at Feeding the Gulf Coast. “Feeding the Gulf Coast expects to provide more than 15,000 meals daily to children through our Summer Meals Program across our service area. Our goal with this program is to ensure all children have access to nutritious meals throughout the summer while school meals are not available. ”

To find child meals sites near you throughout the summer, call (888) 704- FOOD or visit  feedingthegulfcoast.org/find-help.  

Feeding the Gulf Coast (FTGC) serves 24 counties spanning South Alabama, South Mississippi, and the Florida Panhandle. In 2024, the food bank distributed 35 million meals through more than 800 community partners throughout its service area.