Program offers free meals to kids over the summer

A federally funded program is offering free meals to kids under the age of 18 across the state this summer.

St. Paul-based hunger relief program Second Harvest Heartland is working with the state, school districts, summer camps, churches and non-profit groups to distribute the meals at 530 sites.

Second Harvest's chief operating office Bob Chatmas said it's important to continue meal programs for students in the summer.

"There's just over 300,000 Minnesota children who depend on free and reduced lunches when school is in session, and so it's a very big deal for those kids when they're out of school to be able to go somewhere and get a meal," he said.

Any student under the 18, regardless of their family's income, can get a free meal through the effort.

Last summer 2.3 million meals were given out.

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