Santa Barbara County Foodbank offers free lunches to hundreds of kids with more options
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - For many kids in need, no school would mean no lunch during the summer.
That is, If it weren’t for the Santa Barbara County Foodbank’s "Picnic in the Park."
“There’s a lot of need here especially in Goleta and Isla Vista. Kids and there’s a lot of kids who don’t have A lot of food and being able to provide that food here is a good opportunity because we do have a lot of need," said disaster specialist Anthony Rodriguez of the Santa Barbara County Foodbank.
Kelsey Eaton is excited to pick up some meals for her kids.
“It’s always great to feed my kids some healthy lunches and know they have something available … they love to come pick up the lunches. it makes it more fun to eat them because they get to pick them up themselves," said Eaton.
This year, the food bank plans to provide more than 25,000 lunches to children in need.
“People are hurting right now and this is a huge help to them and to have The food bank provide this and us having the space for it … so it’s a win-win," said general manager Charlie Johnson of the Goleta Valley Community Center.
Unlike last year, there will be more options on how to pick up the meals.
“You can have the opportunity, to grab a bag and go, or you can actually have a seat here, and your kids can learn about nutritious food," said Rodriguez.
If your child is in need of a lunch meal, all you have to do is simply arrive and enjoy a healthy lunch at a safe location.
And there's no required paperwork.
The foodbank says 84 percent of children throughout the county receive free or reduce-price lunches during the school year.
In order to keep local kids healthy this summer, the Picnic in the Park program hopes to provide free healthy lunches for any child under 18.
The foodbank is also offering physical and educational activities for the kids at local partks.
For more information on Picnic in the Park and how to support the mission to end hunger this summer, go to: https://foodbanksbc.org/
