VIRGINIA BEACH — Free breakfast and lunch meals will be available to all children ages 18 years and younger at designated Virginia Beach City Public Schools sites this summer.
The Summer Food Service Program is administered through the Virginia Department of Education and funded by the USDA which reimburses the school division for meals served, according to a news release from VBCPS.
Children do not have to be enrolled in VBCPS or in the school division to take part in the program, nor do they or their parents have to complete paperwork or show proof of income or identification, public schools officials said.
Children only need to show up at any open summer meal site during the designated hours to receive a meal.
The Summer Food Service Program provides federal funding to offer meals and snacks to children during the summer months when school is not in session. Nationally, more than 13 million children live in “food insecure homes.”
The schedule for this year’s Summer Food Service Program at VBCPS is as follows, with all sites closed July 4, and Bayside and Green Run high schools closed July 19:
| School | Dates | Food service | Hours Available |
| Newton Elementary | Mon – Fri, June 18 – Aug. 17 |
Breakfast and lunch | 7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. Noon – 1 p.m. |
| Diamond Springs Elementary Williams Elementary |
Mon – Fri, June 18 – Aug. 17 |
Breakfast and lunch | 8 – 9 a.m. Noon – 1 p.m. |
| College Park Elementary Bayside Middle School |
Mon – Thu, June 25 – Aug. 2 |
Breakfast and lunch | 8 – 9 a.m. Noon – 1 p.m. |
| Bayside High School Green Run High School |
Mon – Thu, June 26 – Aug. 13 |
Breakfast | 6:30 – 7:30 a.m. |
| Birdneck Elementary Brookwood Elementary Parkway Elementary Rosemont Elementary Bayside Sixth Grade Campus Luxford Elementary Shelton Park Elementary Windsor Oaks Elemntary Kempsville Meadows Elementary White Oaks Elementary Windsor Woods Elementary |
Mon – Thu, July 9 – Aug. 2 |
Breakfast and lunch |
7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. 10 a.m. – 11 a.m. |
| Seatack Elementary | Mon – Thu, July 9 – Aug. 2 |
Breakfast and lunch |
8 – 9 a.m. 10 – 11 a.m. |
| Green Run Elementary Holland Elementary Lynnhaven Elementary |
Tue – Thu, July 10 – Aug. 2 |
Breakfast and lunch | 7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. 10 a.m. – 11 a.m. |
Along with the Summer Food Service Program, VBCPS participates in several other programs to support food-insecure families in the city.
Specifically, the division collaborates with the Virginia Beach Education Foundation to operate the Beach Bags program, which provides shelf-stable meals and healthy snacks to students who might otherwise go hungry during weekends and school breaks, according to the news release.
Additionally, all elementary schools offer Breakfast in the Classroom, and qualifying schools take part in the Supper Feeding and Community Eligibility programs.
For information about the Summer Food Service Program, call the VBCPS Office of Food Services at 757-263-1101 or visit the VDOE’s website.
