Children and teens younger than 18 years old can access free lunch in Columbia from June 1 to Aug. 7, the city announced Tuesday.
Lunch will be served Monday through Friday, excluding June 19 and July 3. Staff will serve meals from noon to 1 p.m. on June 1 to July 31 in the rear parking lot of the Armory Sports and Recreation Center, 701 E. Ash St., according to a city news release.
Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services spokesperson Austin Krohn said the site will offer food prepared at a Columbia Public Schools kitchen, which must close earlier in the summer to prepare for the upcoming school year.
Powerhouse Community Development Corp. will use a separate food vendor and have lunch and snacks available until Aug. 7. Here’s the schedule:
- Columbia Housing Authority
- (CHA)
- Stuart-Parker Apartments, 225 Unity Drive:
- Lunch from noon to 12:30 p.m.; snack from 1:30 to 1:50 p.m.
- CHA Bear Creek, 1109 Elleta Blvd.:
- Lunch from noon to 12:30 p.m.; snack from 1:30 to 1:50 p.m.
- Columbia Square, 1715 W. Worley St.:
- Lunch from 11 to 11:30 a.m.; snack from 12:50 to 1:10 p.m.
- Indian Hills Park, 5009 Aztec Blvd.:
- Lunch from noon to 12:30 p.m.; snack from 1:30 to 1:50 p.m.
- Welcome Inn, 1612 N. Providence Road:
- Lunch from noon to 12:30 p.m.; snack from 1:30 to 1:50 p.m.
- Demaret Drive, 718 Demaret Drive.:
- Lunch from 11 to 11:30 a.m.; snack from 12:50 to 1:10 p.m.
- Hanover Estates, 1601 Hanover Blvd., Building 7:
- Lunch from 11 to 11:30 a.m.; snack from 12:50 to 1:10 p.m.
- Progressive Missionary Baptist Church, 702 Banks Ave.:
- Lunch from 11 a.m. to noon
Columbia’s summer lunch program provides free meals through a partnership between Columbia Public Schools, Columbia Parks and Recreation and Powerhouse Community Development Corp.
The program is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture through the school lunch program, aiming to provide children with nutritious meals during the summer.
Large groups planning to access lunch at the Armory should call the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) office at 573-873-7384 at least one day in advance to ensure enough meals are available, according to the news release.
Volunteers can sign up online or email columbia@powerhousecdc.org.
