Mar. 9, 2025 – Feeding site applications are now open for the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma’s Summer Feeding Program. Through the Summer Feeding Program, children up to the age of 18 can receive free, nutritious meals and snacks when school is not in session.

“During the summer months, thousands of Oklahoma children lose access to healthy, nutritious meals they need to thrive,” said Stacy Dykstra, chief executive officer of the Regional Food Bank. “This program helps ensure no child has to worry where their next meal will come from.”

The Summer Feeding Program will begin on June 1 and will run through Aug. 8. This is a federal nutrition program managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and distributed through the Oklahoma State Department of Education.

Interested sites must be in an area where the assigned school attendance has at least 50 percent of children receiving free or reduced-price lunches. Sites may be at schools, nonprofits, churches, community centers, libraries or parks and recreation locations, and must be located apart from other Summer Feeding Program sites. These sites must be approved by both the Regional Food Bank and the Oklahoma State Department of Education.

Congregate and non-congregate site applications are available.

Congregate sites must have an appropriate place for children to eat and must choose mealtimes approved by the Regional Food Bank. Any changes to mealtimes must be pre-approved by the Regional Food Bank. Locations in the Oklahoma City metro area may receive fresh meals, shelf-stable meals or a mix of options.

Non-congregate applications are available for rural areas where no congregate meal service is available. Non-congregate meal distribution consists of meal pick-up. These include pre-packaged meals for children to take home. Examples of meal pickup include grab and go or curbside service.

These sites must have an appropriate place for meals to be handed out such as a drive-thru setup for grab and go or designated parking for families to use to enter the building for meal pick-up.

Non-congregate applications will stay open through Friday, April 10, and congregate applications will close on Friday, April 17.

Apply to become a congregate feeding site here.

https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/019c7c365f5577b1975e441fbb9e8c2c

Apply to become a non-congregate site here.

https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/019c491aa21479d99361e6d0348b0dba