Thanks to a USDA initiative to provide nutritious school meals during summer break, various schools and institutions will be serving breakfast and lunch for free to children 18 and younger all over Maryland.

Food insecurity is a growing problem in our region, and the public school systems are certainly doing their part to combat it this summer. In conjunction with the USDA's Summer Food Program, nutritious meals will be served throughout Maryland. In 2018, this program provided over 1.5 million meals nationwide!

Any children 18 and younger are eligible for free meals through this program, regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. Meals will be served on a first-come, first-served basis as long as supplies last at each site. There is no registration required; simply show up at the designated time.

The Howard County Public School System will be serving free meals in schools and community buildings from June until August. See the list of participating sites here.

In Baltimore County, the meals will be served at both public schools and libraries. To view the full list of participating sites, visit the Baltimore County Public School website.

Here is the link to the sites serving free lunches in Prince George's County. They will only be serving free meals Monday through Thursday, as they are closed on Fridays during the summer.

If your community isn't listed, try the USDA Summer Meal finder to locate the closest participating site to you. You can also call (866) 348-6479 and someone will help you find a local site.

For more information about the free summer meal program in Maryland, including how to find the participating site closest to you, visit the official USDA Summer Food Program website.

**All of the photos in this article are courtesy of the USDA.

Do you know of summer meal sites in the your area? Let us know in the comments!