As families across Ohio continue to face higher grocery bills, one nonprofit is helping bridge the gap by making sure children have access to free meals while school is out for the summer.
Every Wednesday morning, parents begin arriving at Tecumseh High School in New Carlisle to pick up meal boxes through a mobile food distribution program operated by Children’s Hunger Alliance. The weekly service is one of four mobile routes the organization runs across Ohio during the summer months, providing free take-home meals for children who no longer have access to school breakfasts and lunches.
For local mother Madison Moore, the program has become a welcome source of support. She says the food boxes offer a good mix of healthy items and snacks that her children genuinely enjoy, including fresh fruit and apple crisps that aren’t always part of the family’s regular grocery budget. The variety also gives her daughters the chance to choose their own meals, making lunchtime easier while encouraging a little independence.
Each child receives a shelf-stable meal package containing enough food for five days. The boxes include breakfast foods, lunch and dinner items, milk, snacks, and fruit, giving families convenient options that require little preparation. Fresh apples and oranges are also available during the summer distributions.
The New Carlisle location continues to see strong demand. Before volunteers even begin handing out meals each Wednesday morning, vehicles are already lined up in the parking lot. This week alone, approximately 150 meal boxes were distributed. Earlier distributions reached even more families, with 176 boxes provided the previous week and 226 during one June event.
New Carlisle is only one stop in a larger statewide effort. Children’s Hunger Alliance also operates weekly summer meal pickups in Coshocton, Sabina, and Troy, where hundreds of additional families receive food assistance each week. Combined, the four locations distribute hundreds of meal boxes every week throughout the summer.
According to Children’s Hunger Alliance, summer is often the most difficult season for families struggling with food insecurity. During the school year, many children receive free or reduced-price breakfasts and lunches, but those meals disappear once classes end. Parents are then left to provide additional meals at a time when food costs remain elevated.
The need remains substantial across Ohio. More than half a million children—roughly one out of every five—experience food insecurity. State education data also shows that nearly three in ten students participated in the school breakfast program during the 2024-25 school year, while well over half relied on school lunches.
Children’s Hunger Alliance President and CEO Michelle M. Brown said school meal programs provide dependable nutrition for hundreds of thousands of children throughout the academic year. When summer arrives, many parents suddenly face the challenge of replacing those meals while also managing childcare expenses and other seasonal costs.
Families using the New Carlisle distribution say the weekly pickups have made a noticeable difference. Some parents appreciate having healthy lunches readily available, while others say their children enjoy selecting their own meals and snacks. Several noted that the convenience saves both time and money during the busy summer months.
The meal boxes are stocked with foods designed to appeal to children while still offering nutritional value. Depending on availability, boxes may include cereal, waffles, chocolate milk, whole-grain crackers, fruit juice, meat sticks, and other shelf-stable items that are easy to store and prepare.
Program organizers say the goal is simple: provide foods children are willing to eat while ensuring families have reliable access to nutritious meals throughout the summer. As inflation continues to stretch household budgets, the mobile meal program is helping thousands of Ohio children stay fed until the school year begins again.
