LANSING, Mich — It's summer break for schools here in Mid-Michigan, but children getting a healthy meal during the day isn't always a guarantee. But in many of our neighborhoods, there's some help.
- Many school districts have sponsored the Summer Food Service Program, also known as "Meet up and Eat up."
- The program provides free breakfasts and lunches to children and teens up to 18 years old during the summer.
- Volunteers say it's an important program that's had an impact for years.
Many of our neighborhoods have Meet Up and Eat Up sites, which offer free meals to children during the summer.
WATCH: Free lunches are being offered to children in our neighborhoods this summer
"When I started working, I had my grandkids coming here," Willie Dawson said.
Dawson has been volunteering with the Boys and Girls Club of Lansing for nearly 20 years. She's one of many volunteers serving lunches to children as part of the "Meet Up and Eat Up" program, which provides children with free breakfast and lunches during the summer.
At the Boys and Girls Club of Lansing, summer meals are provided by the Lansing School District.
"We try to make sure that the kids get enough to eat," Dawson said.
Dawson says that in two decades as a volunteer, she has seen plenty of students who come in hungry during the summer, and programs like Meet Up and Eat Up have been able to give them a free, nutritious meal in times of need.
"We didn't have this kind of program when I was growing up with the Boys and Girls Club," Dawson said. "So it was awesome when I moved to Michigan and we started having my kids come here and they started with this same program. I think it's awesome."
Click here to find a Meet Up and Eat Up location near you.
