When it rains, it pours! And Puget Sound is pouring free meals for kids. With the support of the City of Seattle, Seattle Public Schools launched its free meals for all students program this month. And today, Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital & Health Network announced that it has expanded its Summer Meals program to be a year-round program.
That means any child age 1-18 will receive complimentary lunches at Mary Bridge Children’s Outpatient Center – Tacoma every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 12 to 1:30 p.m. The lunches are nutritious and playful: Each one includes a hand-drawn postcard from either a child or a member of the Mary Bridge Children’s team with jokes and crayon artwork for kids. The Outpatient Center is located at 311 S L Street, Tacoma.
While the hospital’s summertime food program is funded through the USDA Summer Food Service program, free kids’ lunches September through May are being covered by the Mary Bridge Children’s Foundation. 311 S L Street, Tacoma, WA 98405
Hospital officials say the move to provide meals for children year-round is, in part, aimed at shifting some of the burden off parents’ plates while offering useful information and support. The expanded program will continue to connect families with resources that support overall health and well-being, including nutrition education, food resources and community services. Mary Bridge cited these reasons for the need for the expansion:
- Growing food prices and the number of families in need don’t decline just because school starts.
- This summer, the Mary Bridge Summer Meals program served 2,360 kids
- The number of kids served by the Summer Meals program has grown 62% since 2024.
