IPS Launches Free Summer Meals Program

Indianapolis Public Schools launched its Summer Meal Program Monday. 

The program will provide free breakfast and lunch at 24 sites, including stops by the Bus Stop Café at several community locations. The Bus Stop Café will provide meals at the Martin Luther King  Community Center, Stratford Apartment Complex and the Irvington and Haughville public library branches.

According to IPS Communications Manager Carrie Cline Black, more than 70% of IPS families qualify for free or reduced services. Cline Black says without the Summer Meal Program, many students would not have the opportunity to eat during the summer.

“When school is in session, our children rely on the hot, nutritious  and delicious meals that we provide five days a week for breakfast and lunch,” says Cline Black . “So it's extremely important to us to be able to continue that service even when school is not in session.

The program is funded through the Community Eligibility Program, the same program that provides IPS schools with free meals during the school year. 

The first IPS school began serving Monday, all other sites will open June 17. The program will run  through July 26. Children do not need to attend an IPS school nor qualify for free or reduced services to receive a meal through the program. Adults are able to purchase a meal for less than $4.