summer meals

Summer Meals Program Targets City Kids

By Veronica Volk • Jun 29, 2015

During the school year, Rochester City School District students get free or reduced price lunches. Aaron Lattanzio of the Finger Lakes Health Systems Agency says that program benefits a lot of families, and shouldn't end in June.

Now to the end of the summer, anyone from 2-18 years old living in the city can get a free breakfast or lunch at select locations through Rochester Summer Meals.

Lattanzio is the program's coordinator. He says the meal program offers the obvious benefit of feeding hungry children, but it also has a secondary gain.

New Report Shows Gap in Summer Meals Program

By LeShea Agnew • Mar 6, 2013

City and school officials are joining forces to encourage more families to participate in Rochester's Summer Meals Program.

More than 21,000 students qualify for the free service that provides balanced meals to youth living in low-income households, but only about 5,000 students participated in the program last year. A recent report by the Center for Governmental Research determined not only is the program widely underutilized, most families that qualify are completely unaware the program even exists.