MEMPHIS, Tenn. —
Some students across the Mid-South depend on school lunches, because they may not have enough food at home.
With the school year coming to an end, several nonprofits in the Mid-South are seeking solutions to fight food insecurity by giving away free meals to kids this summer.
"When kids are in school every day, they have the meals that are provided through the school. Once they're out of school, they're no longer getting those meals,” said YMCA of Memphis & the Mid-South CEO Brian McLaughlin.
According to a new Vanderbilt University poll, over 40% of Tennessee families with children lack reliable access to food. This is why the YMCA is gearing up to serve about 50,000 meals a week to kids in need. It's a program the YMCA prides itself on building upon every year.
"It's so important to me to make sure that our kids have the resources that they need to thrive," McLaughlin said. "And that's one of the reasons why the 'Y' is so involved in this program.”
This year, the YMCA is also making its summer food program more accessible in the rural west Tennessee counties.
"We got a waiver from the state to provide seven-day meal packs with a one-time pick up," McLaughlin said. "So that's pretty great for all of our outlining counties.”
The Memphis & Shelby County Lead Safe Collaborative is also hosting its fifth annual summer meal program. The nonprofit’s administrative assistant, Zarria Kibble, said they will be delivering healthy meals, with fresh fruit and vegetables, in Shelby, Hardeman and Haywood counties.
"Because they really don't have the means for groceries, the kids are not coming to us," Kibble said. "We're having members out there distributing the meals.”
Both programs are for children under 18, with a common goal of making sure no child in the Mid-South go without proper nutrition this summer.
The state is also participating in a summer Electronic Benefit Transfer, or EBT, program this year only. The program gives low income families an extra $40 per child each month to help pay for food.
To get a meal site in your area with the Memphis & Shelby County Lead Safe Collaborative, you can contact the CEO, Kishmar Kibble Sr., at 901-643-0095 or click here.
The YMCA has more details on their pickup sites here.
Memphis Shelby County Schools and the Mid-South Food Bank are also hosting summer food programs but were not available for an interview to provide more details.