School or no School, a Summer Lunch for Boston Kids
By Nora Dowley-Liebowitz, Executive Director of a local Boston educational enrichment program, Roslindale resident

This past Friday, I brought more than 80 students with me to Boston City Hall Plaza to enjoy a free meal. It was the end of the first week of Boston’s Summer Meals program, where students under 18 can head to sites all over the city to get a delicious and healthy lunch, for free, all summer long. To celebrate, the Mayor and Boston Public Schools opened up City Hall Plaza for Plaza Palooza, a day filled with great food and some summer fun.
Lots of us think of summer as a time to kick back and relax — but it’s also a time when families worry about how to fill their children’s days and when young people worry about how to get access to high quality and fun programming throughout the summer. Fortunately due to Boston Public School’s “5th quarter” initiative, many young people throughout the city have access to incredible programming, with high quality teachers and free lunch!
At my program, and many others like it, I see firsthand how lucky we are to live in a city like Boston. In our city, no kid should ever go hungry — school or no school.
The Summer Meals program, run by the Mayor’s Office of Food Access and Boston Public Schools, is running at sites in every neighborhood all summer long. No registration or identification required — just step up and grab lunch anywhere on the map. And go here to learn more about how BPS and the Mayor are making sure our kids stay happy, healthy and engaged throughout summer.
Got time on your lunch break this week? Come on down to City Hall Plaza for a quick game on the Lawn and some great music for a great cause.
