News for North Texas
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Free Breakfast and Lunch For Kids Kicks Off Today

Carmen Riley with her three kids - and others - in tow. Riley's leading her children to the free lunch at the Cockrell Hill apartments. Free summer meals kicked off today.

At least 165,000 low income kids in Dallas don’t need to go hungry this summer. That’s because there’s free breakfast and lunch for those 18 and under all across Dallas county, for children who usually get free food at school.

 

It’s lunch time at Dallas’ Cockrell Hill Apartments, and Carmen Riley, with her 3, 5, and 8 year olds,  says these free meals are a big deal.  

 “…a very big deal. Sometimes we don’t’ have lunches to feed them at home, so it’s good to come out here and have free lunches for them to eat so they can have a healthy lunch every day,” said Riley.

 Free breakfast and lunch sites for anyone 18 and under will be set up within a mile of almost any location in Dallas this summer. Only 11 percent of those eligible for free meals took advantage of them last year. The free food program’s operated by the Agriculture Department. 

Bill Zeeble has been a full-time reporter at KERA since 1992, covering everything from medicine to the Mavericks and education to environmental issues.