LATHAM —The Regional Food Bank’s Summer Meal Kit Program will launch this week, delivering healthy and nutritious food to the homes of students while on summer break.
This initiative, funded by the USDA, returns for a second year with a goal of serving more students.
This year, the Summer Meal Kit Program will provide weekly food packages to over 600 children across 18 school districts in nine counties, including several districts in the North Country.
The program is especially impactful in rural communities where families face long distances to grocery stores, transportation barriers and the rising cost of fuel and food.
Participating families will receive meal kits delivered directly to their homes for 10 weeks. Each box contains shelf-stable food and 14 meals, two meals for each day of the week.
Participating North Country school districts include the Long Lake, Wells, Northern Adirondack, Boquet Valley and Bolton central school districts.
“Every child deserves access to healthy, nutritious food all year long. It’s essential to their development,” Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York CEO Tom Nardacci said in a press release.
“When school ends, many children lose consistent access to meals. This program is a creative and innovative solution that brings food directly to families, especially in rural communities where access can be limited.
“By delivering meal kits directly to homes, we’re helping remove barriers that often prevent children from accessing food during the summer months.
“Now in its second year, this program continues to serve as an important test case for new ways to help eradicate child hunger.”
Long Lake Central School District participated in the program for the first time in 2025 with four students. This summer, participation will triple, with 13 students enrolled.
The program is growing as families learn the ease of participating.
In many traditional programs, families and students need to travel to pick up the food, which can create a barrier for rural students who don’t have transportation.
“In the North Country, many families live a significant distance from the nearest grocery store. For some, the closest supermarket is a 30-to-45-minute drive,” LLCSD Superintendent and Principal Dr. Camille Harrelson said in the release. “Having food delivered directly to their homes eliminates that barrier.
“I want to thank the Regional Food Bank for simplifying the process of participating in this and making it so easy for school districts and families.”
The meal kits are particularly well-suited for active North Country children who spend their summer days outdoors. Many of the shelf-stable items can easily be packed for days spent fishing, swimming, hiking or exploring.
In addition to the Summer Meal Kit Program, the Regional Food Bank is continuing its Summer Backpack Program.
The initiative builds on the organization’s year-round Backpack Program, which provides children with nutritious, easy-to-prepare food to take home on weekends during the school year when school meals are unavailable.
Individuals interested in supporting the program or learning more about the Regional Food Bank’s efforts to combat child hunger can visit regionalfoodbank.net.