8 Sites in San Diego County Providing Free Lunches to Children During COVID-19 Crisis

Feeding San Diego will offer free, hot lunches for children on weekdays at sites in the city, and in North and South County.

Two sites also will provide breakfasts, while one in City Heights will offer cold meals on Saturdays.

With children out of school due to the coronavirus, Feeding San Diego is attempting to reach those that would otherwise go hungry without free or reduced-price meals.

To adhere to social distancing practices, sites offer the meals via drive-through. Distribution is first-come, first-served.

Any youth 18 years old or younger, or anyone with a disability, is eligible. Officials don’t require identification or personal information, but the children must be present to receive a meal.

The distribution sites currently include (asterisk indicates breakfast available too):

Officials called the meals kid-friendly and nutritious. They include whole-grain pizzas, homemade macaroni and cheese, and fresh burritos. More sites are expected to be added.

The charity estimates that one in six children in San Diego County face hunger. The pandemic has made the situation worse.

“The closure of the schools has cut-off access to school breakfasts and school lunches, Vince Hall, CEO of Feeding San Diego. “We are sponsoring these daily meals sites to help make sure our kids have access to healthy, nutritious meals.”