Free summer food sites announced by Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Ohio

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Ohio (BGCNEO) will offer free meals to kids at select sites throughout the summer. The Summer Food Service Program will include three locations in Cleveland.

“Childhood hunger is unfortunately an issue in some of our neighborhoods, and we want to make sure the youth we serve have access to food during our summer sessions,” said BGCNEO CEO Allen Smith. “During the school year, we provide a free daily meal. We served approximately 260,000 meals across the region in 2024.” 

The Summer Food Service Program is open to all eligible children who are members of a Boys & Girls Clubs site. Membership at a Club is free. BGCNEO notes that requirements and activities are the same for all children, regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability. There will be no discrimination during meal services, the agency said in a statement.

Advertisement

Meals will be provided, at a first come, first served basis, at the sites and times listed below. There aren’t any attendance mandates. Kids who are there when a meal is served can eat.

Below you’ll find the name of the participating Club, it’s street address, city it’s located in, operating hours, and then the times for breakfast and lunch, respectively. The three participating Cleveland sites are:

Additional locations will be opened in Lorain, Huron and Erie counties at the following Clubs:

BGCNEO is also offering free summer programming at 17 sites throughout its footprint, including five sites in Cuyahoga County. Summer programs run from June 10 through Aug. 16. The Clubs are open to kids 6 through 18. Registration for the sites opened April 29.

BGCNEO said summer programming will include daily activities, field trips and a free meal. This year’s theme is “Journey through Summer” and will see participants fishing, going on outdoor excursions, engaging in equestrian therapy, enjoying field days, getting work experience, and learning about nutrition. Clubs will also host theme weeks, including “Great Futures,” “Holidays in July,” and “Olympian Challenge.”

Urban economics professor Kuzey Yilmaz from Cleveland State University previously told The Land’s Casey Couch that affordable summer programming is increasingly difficult to find for working parents.

“In the summer, working parents struggle to find affordable child care because there are limited options,” Yilmaz said. “There is a high demand for these limited options, and the competition results in these options being expensive.”