Summer break can mean hunger for many food-insecure children. Learn why summer meals matter and how the LA Regional Food Bank is helping make summer hunger-free.

For most kids, summer break means sleeping in, days at the pool, and a break from homework. But for tens of thousands of children across Los Angeles County, the end of the school year brings something else: the loss of a reliable source of food.

During the school year, breakfast and lunch programs quietly do some of the most important work in a child’s day. When the final bell rings for summer break, that safety net disappears for many families, and summer becomes one of the hardest seasons of the year for kids facing food insecurity.

The Need is Great, the Food Bank Helps

LA County has more food-insecure children than any other county in the country. Roughly one in four children across the County experience food and nutrition insecurity, meaning their families don’t always know where the next meal will come from.

That challenge intensifies the moment summer break comes around. Without school-provided breakfast and lunch, students can go hungry during the very months they should be playing, learning new things, and getting ready for the next school year. Rising costs of everyday essentials only widen the gap. With the ever-increasing cost of rent, transportation, groceries, and daycare, families are struggling to keep up and provide three nutritious meals each day.

That’s why the Food Bank’s Summer Breakfast and Lunch Program matters so much. When a child can count on a reliable meal at a local site over the summer, families don’t have to choose between keeping the lights on and keeping the fridge stocked.

FIND A SUMMER LUNCH LOCATION

Additionally, the Food Bank fights child hunger year-round through initiatives such as the BackPack Program, which provides at-risk students at high-need schools in the Los Angeles and Compton Unified School Districts with weekend grocery kits containing enough food for six meals. In 2025, this program provided grocery kits containing more than 660,000 pounds of nutritious food. 

The Breakfast Program and Afterschool Meal Program provide healthy morning and after-school meals throughout the school year. These programs distributed 67,400 prepared meals to children in need, including healthy breakfasts, lunches, and after-school meals throughout 2025. 

Food insecurity doesn’t take the summer off, and neither does the Food Bank. If you would like to join the fight against hunger, consider making a donation to the Food Bank, volunteering at one of our two warehouses, or helping someone find food through our Pantry Locator. Together, We Feed LA.