The YMCA of Metro North is helping make summer healthier for local children and families by offering Summer Eats, a free summer meal program available at the Demakes Family YMCA in Lynn and the Saugus Family YMCA.

Summer Eats is offered through Project Bread in partnership with local schools and community meal providers across Massachusetts. Through the program, children and teens 18 and under can receive free meals during the summer months, when school meals are not available. No registration or identification is required.

When school is out, children lose access to the meals they rely on during the school year. Summer Eats helps close that gap by making more than 25,000 free meals available in familiar places families know and trust.

“Children in our area need consistent access to healthy food, not just during the school year, but all summer long,” said Karina Teixeira, Senior Executive Director of the Demakes Family YMCA. “At the Y, we see how much families are balancing, and this program helps make sure children have nutritious meals throughout the summer.”

The YMCA of Metro North provides 86,000 healthy meals to children and families each year and offers food and nutrition programs through initiatives like its Rooftop Garden, Healthy Kitchen, and Y Academy Early Learning and Out-of-School Time program. Summer Eats builds on this year-round commitment by helping ensure local children have access to free, healthy meals when school is out.

“When children are hungry, it affects everything, from their health and energy to their ability to play, learn, and enjoy summer,” said Kathleen Walsh, President and CEO of the YMCA of Metro North. “Summer Eats is one more way the Y can help meet a real need for families in Lynn, Saugus, and surrounding communities. We are grateful to Project Bread for helping us provide healthy meals and a stronger safety net for local children.”

Families can learn more about Summer Eats meal times and locations by contacting the Demakes Family YMCA or Saugus Family YMCA, or by visiting Project Bread’s Summer Eats meal site finder: https://projectbread.org/summer-eats-program