Metro Action Calls for Community Partners to keep Nashville’s Youth Fed During the Summer

The Metropolitan Action Commission (MAC) is seeking community partners to serve as meal sites for children and youth in Nashville and Davidson County this summer. Applications to participate as a meal site are due April 15.

Youth program leaders interested in applying may visit the agency's website at www.nashville.gov/mac and select "Get Free Summer Meals for Youth," or apply in person at the agency's main office located at 1281 Murfreesboro Pike, Nashville.

During June and July, MAC provides free breakfast and lunch to youth programs and other locations where young people gather, including apartment communities, day camps, faith-based programs, community centers, and sports camps.

To qualify as a meal site, programs must either serve youth directly or be located near schools that participate in the Free and Reduced Lunch program during the school year. This ensures that children who typically receive free meals at school can continue to access nutritious meals throughout the summer.

MAC has the capacity to serve approximately 100 community locations that provide safe spaces for children and youth during the summer months.

"With summer quickly approaching, it's important to consider how children who rely on free or reduced price school meals will continue to access nutritious food while school is out," said Marvin Cox, program director of the MAC Community Outreach Division.

Training for new and returning programs will be provided in May, along with ongoing monitoring and support throughout the summer. The summer meal program runs from June 1 through July 31.

MAC encourages programs not currently enrolled as a meal site to submit their application by Wednesday, April 15.

For more information about the agency's summer food program, call 615-862-8860, extension 70120.

The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) is a national program designated to provide nutritionally balanced meals for school-age children during the summer that may otherwise go without a meal during the day. Metro Action receives federal funding for the SFSP from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service through a grant with the Tennessee Department of Human Services.