Summer meal program keeps kids fed as grocery costs rise

By the Editorial Team · Tuesday, July 28, 2026

The Greater Chicago Food Depository is providing free meals to children at 115 sites across Cook County to combat increased food insecurity during summer when school meals are unavailable. This effort is crucial as rising food and energy costs, alongside stricter SNAP eligibility and potential funding cuts, strain low-income families and contribute to the closure of local grocery stores.

Children participating in summer programs across Cook County are receiving free meals through a network of 115 sites supported by the Greater Chicago Food Depository, as rising grocery and energy costs strain household budgets. The initiative aims to address food insecurity that increases during summer months when students lose access to school-provided meals.

At Holy Family School in North Lawndale, children gathered in the gymnasium Monday for breakfast, enjoying items such as milk, fruit cups, waffles, and bagels. Eleven-year-olds Calia Brown and Alonnah Muhammad, cousins attending the program, commended the variety and quality of the meals, noting that some foods offered are new to them. The school’s summer camp also offers activities including field trips and movies alongside the free meal service.

The Greater Chicago Food Depository oversees meal distribution at various locations—including schools, parks, community centers, libraries, camps, apartment complexes, and churches—aimed at offsetting the nutritional gap caused by the summer break. According to Camerin Mattson, the food depository’s communications manager, the loss of free school meals during summer can exacerbate food insecurity and contribute to a “summer slide,” a decline in children’s academic skills over the break.

The demand for food assistance has increased amid policy changes and economic challenges. Recent federal and state adjustments to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) have tightened eligibility, especially affecting immigrant families and those with older children, while Illinois faces potential reductions in federal SNAP funding due to error rates exceeding 6 percent. The state is expected to absorb approximately $550 million in annual costs as a result, per an analysis by the Civic Federation.

These cuts coincide with rising prices for essential groceries such as milk and ground beef, as well as record-high electric bills in Illinois, further stressing low-income families. The situation contributed to the closure of seven Save A Lot grocery stores in the South and West sides of Chicago, where decreased sales linked to SNAP reductions were cited by the company.

To assist families, the food depository helps eligible households access Illinois’ Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) program, which provides a one-time benefit of $120 per school-age child to purchase groceries during summer. At Holy Family, summer food service manager Johnnie Dossie emphasized the importance of providing reliable meals for children’s daily functioning and highlighted popular items such as applesauce and roast beef sandwiches. The program serves about 80 children weekly, according to Dossie, with surplus food often sent home to families.

For many parents, the free summer meals are a vital resource, helping to stretch limited budgets amid ongoing economic pressures.

This article was reported by synthesizing coverage from multiple independent news outlets to present a balanced, unbiased account. Read about our editorial standards. Spotted an error? Let us know.