This summer, Illinois families can take advantage of free meals and snacks for children 18 and younger through federal programs administered by the Illinois State Board of Education. More than 1,000 sites across 72 counties are participating, with additional sites continuing to enroll throughout the summer. Families can find a nearby location by searching online, texting, or calling a hotline. Families can locate the closest serving sites during the summer by:

• Visiting the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Summer Meals for Kids Site Finder at https://www.fns.usda.gov/summer/sitefinder. Families are encouraged to check the Site Finder regularly throughout the summer, as new meal locations are added on an ongoing basis.

• Calling the USDA National Hunger Hotline, which is operated by Hunger Free America. The hotline can be reached at 1-866-3-HUNGRY (1-866-348-6479) or 1-877-8-HAMBRE (1-877-842-6273) for Spanish, from Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. CT.

• Texting “Summer” to 914-342-7744 to find a summer meal site in their area.