Here’s where free meals are served to hungry Whatcom County students this summer
The Summer Food Service Program, a federally-funded, state-administered program to serve free healthy meals and snacks to children and teens in low-income areas, has several sites in Whatcom County, according to the Department of Agriculture website.
You can find summer meals near you with the USDA’s locator online.
Schools provide breakfast and lunch for all students, regardless of their family’s ability to pay, but that nutritional backstop vanishes during the summer months, according to an earlier Bellingham Herald story. Family food costs can rise by hundreds of dollars a month in the summer.
Food banks are another source for families looking to supplement school meals. Anyone living in Bellingham can visit the food bank twice a week. A recent piece of mail is needed to verify residency. The food bank at 1824 Ellis St. is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays and Fridays, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesdays.
The Bellingham Food Bank is also open 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Thursdays at Alderwood Elementary School, 3400 Hollywood Ave., and 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays at Christ the King Community Church, 4173 Meridian St.
The Ferndale Food Bank at 1671 Main St. is open Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Residents can pick up food once a week.
Bellingham summer meals
▪ Roosevelt Elementary School, 2900 Yew St., Monday to Friday, June 24 to Aug. 23 (closed July 4). Breakfast is 8:15 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. Lunch is noon to 12:30 p.m.
▪ Shuksan Middle School, 2717 Alderwood Ave., Monday to Thursday, June 24 to July 25 (closed July 4) and Aug. 5 to Aug. 22. Breakfast is 8:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. Lunch is noon to 12:30 pm.
▪ Regency Park Apartment Complex, 2050 Fraser St., Monday to Friday, June 24 to Aug. 23 (closed July 4). Lunch is noon to 12:30 p.m.
▪ Sterling Meadows Apartment Complex, 512 Sterling Drive, Monday to Friday, June 24 to Aug. 23 (closed July 4). Lunch is noon to 12:30 p.m.
▪ Bellingham Sportsplex, 1225 Civic Field Way, Monday to Friday, June 24 – Aug. 23 (closed July 4). Lunch is noon to 12:30 p.m.
▪ Roosevelt Neighborhood Resource Center, 2303 Moore St., Monday to Friday, July 1 to Aug. 2 (closed July 4). Lunch is noon to 12:30 p.m.
Ferndale summer meals
▪ Boys & Girls Clubs of Whatcom County, 2015 Cherry St., Monday to Friday, June 24 to Aug. 23. Breakfast is 8:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. Lunch is noon to 12:30 p.m.
Other summer meals include:
▪ Boys & Girls Clubs of Whatcom County, 635 8th St., Blaine, Monday to Friday, June 24 to July 12 and July 22 to Aug. 23. Breakfast is 8:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. Lunch is noon to 12:30 p.m. No membership is necessary.
▪ Lummi Indian Business Council, 2334 Lummi View Drive, Monday to Thursday, July 8 to Aug. 15. Breakfast is 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. Lunch is noon to 1 p.m.
Ferndale meal locations were corrected on July 2, 2019.
This story was originally published June 26, 2019 at 8:00 AM.
