Need help with groceries this summer? New text line connects MO families to food programs

With school out of session, some families may need extra help securing meals throughout the day. To help those in need locate food this summer, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services released an interactive map and a text line to connect residents to local summer food programs.

The map includes food programs located at schools, churches and community centers across the entire state of Missouri. To learn more about a program near you, follow this link and zoom in to your city or neighborhood and click on one of the red pins on the map. Each pin includes the name and address of the program as well as the program’s schedule.

Families in need of food can also text the phrase “Summer Meals” to 914-342-7744 to receive information on which programs are nearby.

In the absence of regular school meals, most of the programs included on the map and text line are targeting children.

Meals will be available to children that are 18 and under. Folks who are between 18 and 21 years old, who are considered mentally or physically disabled and who participate in an official school program will also be eligible for free meals.

In Missouri, one in seven children are facing hunger, and 809,680 people total are facing hunger across the state, according to Feeding America’s 2019 Meal Gap study. In Jackson County, 16.3% of children don’t have enough access to food.

Inflation has driven even more families into food insecurity as well. Groceries eaten at home soared by 10% over the past year. The price of meat and eggs rose by 14.8% and 13.3%, respectively, CNN reported.

To learn more about the Summer Food Service program, visit here or call 888-435-1464.

More information about the Summer Food Service Program is available online at www.health.mo.gov/sfsp or by telephone at 888-435-1464.