Here's where you can get free lunch and breakfast for Topeka students over summer break
Summer starts this week for most Topeka-area students, but there will be a slight gap between the last day of school and the start of most school districts' free summer meal programs.
Through the federally funded USDA Summer Food Service Program, several schools will continue to offer free lunches — and at some schools, breakfasts — to all children ages 1 to 18, regardless of their income level.
The free summer meal program had been extended to cover all students throughout the entire school year at the beginning of the pandemic in spring 2020. The program was later extended to also cover the 2020-21 and 2021-22 school years.
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While several schools will continue to serve free summer meals through the end of July 2022, Congress did not pass funding to continue the universal free meal program into the regular school year. Parents will need to re-apply for free or reduced lunch during the 2022-23 school year.
In the meantime, here's where Topeka-area children can continue to receive free meals in summer 2022.
Where can Topeka-area children get free meals?
Each district has different meal dates and locations, and most will have a gap of a few days or a couple of weeks between the summer food service programs and the end/start of the school year.
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Not all schools are free meal locations, but any child can get free meals at any meal site, regardless if they attend that school or district.
In most cases, children will need to be present to receive free meals.
Topeka USD 501 free meal sites
In Topeka USD 501, the district has partnered with several other community sites and organizations to serve free breakfasts and lunches.
The following sites will offer breakfast from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. and lunch from 11 a.m. to noon, Monday through Friday, June 2 to July 29, unless otherwise noted.
Jardine Elementary School, 2600 S.W. 33rd St.
Quincy Elementary School, 1500 N.E. Quincy St.
Meadows Elementary School, 201 S.W. Clay St. (breakfast 8 to 9 a.m.).
Scott Dual Language Magnet Elementary School, 401 S.E. Market St. (June 6 to July 1).
Whitson Elementary School, 1725 S.W. Arnold (June 6 to July 29).
Chase Middle School, 2250 N.E. State St.
Robinson Middle School, 1125 S.W. 14th St.
Capital City High School, TCALC, and Avondale Academy, 500 S.W. Tuffy Kellogg Drive (June 6 to July 1).
Highland Park High School, 2424 S.E. California Ave.
Topeka High School, 800 S.W. 10th St.
GreatLIFE GreatPLAY, 1936 N.W. Tyler St.
Southwest YMCA, 3635 S.W. Chelsea Drive.
St. David's Episcopal Church, 3916 S.W. 17th St.
Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1275 S.W. Boswell Ave.
Additionally, some Topeka USD 501 sites will offer seven days worth of meals on most Fridays during the summer.
While children won't need to be present during meal pickup, parents will have to fill out "orange cards" with the quantity of children in their households and present those cards at each meal pickup.
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On the last Friday pickup date, July 22, the locations will serve nine meals for the remainder of July.
Those multi-day-meal sites include:
Highland Park High School, 2424 S.E. California Ave.
Topeka High School, 800 S.W. 10th St.
Chase Middle School, 2250 N.E. State St.
French Middle School, 5257 SW 33rd St.
Robinson Middle School, 1125 S.W. 14th St.
Pine Ridge Prep, 1110 S.E. Highland Ave.
Avondale East, 455 S.E. Golf Park Blvd.
GreatLIFE GreatPLAY, 1936 N.W. Tyler.
St. David's Episcopal Church, 3916 S.W. 17th St.
Topeka Bible Church, 1135 SW College Ave.
Trinity Presbyterian Church, 4746 SW 21st St.
Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1275 S.W. Boswell Ave.
More details and menus are available at topekapublicschools.net.
Seaman USD 345 free meal site
Seaman USD 345 will operate one free meal site at Logan Elementary School, 1124 N.W. Lyman Rd.
The site will serve free lunches for children 11 a.m. to noon Mondays through Thursdays, June 6 through July 8. The site will be closed for the Fourth of July, however.
Meals must be eaten on site.
Auburn-Washburn USD 437 free meal site
Pauline Central Primary School, 6625 S.W. Westview Road, will be Auburn-Washburn USD 437's only site serving free breakfasts and lunches.
The site will serve children lunch and the next day's breakfast 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, May 31 to July 24.
Meals will be drive-through only, with service at the south side of the school building.
Shawnee Heights USD 450 free meal site
Shawnee Heights USD 450 will operate one free meal site at Tecumseh North Elementary School, 314 SE Stanton Road, Tecumseh, during the summer.
Lunches will be served 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays, June 6 to June 30. No meals will be served in July.
Rafael Garcia is an education reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached at rgarcia@cjonline.com. Follow him on Twitter at @byRafaelGarcia.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Where to get free school lunch, breakfast in Topeka-area for summer
