TULSA, Okla. — Tulsa Public Schools' 'Summer Cafes' have been a lifeline for countless families for more than a decade.
In an effort to combat food insecure, a number of sites across the district provide free breakfast and lunch to all children under the age of 18. The program kicked off for the 2026 season on June 1.
WATCH: Tulsa Public Schools kicks off summer meal program:
FIND A SUMMER CAFE CLOSE TO YOU
“This is part of the mission of Tulsa Public Schools. We are here to serve our community," said Director of Public Relations Kyle Boone. "Regardless of whether you’re a student, regardless of whether you’re enrolled in TPS, so this is a chance for us to feed the community to make sure that no kid wonders where their next meal is going to come from.”
While students do need to be able to get to the sites on their own to receive the free meals, schools that are apart of the summer program are spread out across the city.
The first sites opened June 1, with many running until July 30.
Now more than ever, Boone knows how critical the trays of food are for Tulsa's children.
According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, food insecurity levels this year across the nation are higher than they were during summer 2020.
“We know based on the research that a lot of kids rely on the nutrition, the meals, that they get through school, so obviously school just ended, and we don’t want them to go hungry throughout the summer," he said.
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