By Alba Ibarra
The Department of Parks and Recreation – in conjunction with the United States Department of Agriculture, the California Department of Education and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health – proudly announces the return of a free lunch and snack program for children 18 and under.
The program will be available at 50 county parks, 25 county libraries, St. Lucy’s Catholic Church in East Los Angeles, Gerdes Park, Hermosillo Park and Norwalk Park in the City of Norwalk, and the Gloria Molina Community Empowerment Center in Walnut Park.
It begins on Monday, June 11, and ends on Friday, Aug. 3. Free lunches will be served between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., and snacks between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. Times vary depending on location. Children 18 years of age and younger are invited to receive a nutritious lunch and snack Monday through Friday.
Participating parks are required to service communities within the geographical boundaries of an elementary, middle or high school attendance area where at least 50 percent of students are eligible for free or reduced-price school meals.
A large percentage of children in Los Angeles County receive free or reduced-price lunches at school, and when school is out during the summer, many families struggle to feed their children. This program aims to provide a healthy alternative meal during the summer. Lunches include vegetables, fruits, seeds and healthy dairy products like milk, string cheese and yogurt. Children 18 years of age and younger are invited to receive a nutritious lunch and snack Monday through Friday.
“The Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation is proud to be part of the safety net that helps ensure children do not go hungry this summer by having access to daily healthy meals while not in school,” said Department Director John Wicker. “We want young people to come to our parks, enjoy a healthy lunch and snack, and stay for all the great programs, facilities and other amenities that our parks offer to their communities.”
The public may use the California Department of Education’s (CDE) CA Meals for Kids mobile app to find the locations of California’s Summer and Afterschool Meal Programs, including the ones sponsored by the Department of Parks and Recreation.
The CA Meals for Kids App provides the most up-to-date information about meal services available in the community. Children and families can use location-based searches to find meal sites, dates, and times. The app also allows for searches by site name, ZIP code, and city.
The CA Meals for Kids mobile app is available for free download through Apple’s App Store 
, Google’s Play Store , and Microsoft’s App Store web pages. More information is available on CDE’s CA Meals for Kids Mobile Application support web page.
To view a list of sites where the Summer Lunch and Snack Program is active, please click here.
For more information about the Department of Parks and Recreation’s 2018 Summer Lunch and Snack Program, including locations, please call (310) 965-8630.