Many Kentucky families depend on free or reduced-price meals during the school year. When school is out for the summer, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Kentucky Department of Education’s Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) help to ensure that children continue to receive nutritious meals to bridge the nutrition gap during these months.
No Kid Hungry Kentucky, the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) and Feeding Kentucky have unveiled new data showing that – for the first time in history – free summer meals for kids were available in all 120 counties of the state. Between May and August 2025, almost 11 million free summer meals were served to Kentucky’s children at meal sites throughout the Commonwealth – up from 8.1 million in summer 2024 and 5.3 million in summer 2023.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has set the income eligibility guidelines for students and adults to participate in free, reduced-price meal programs through the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) for 2025-2026. The CACFP is federally funded through the USDA and is administered by the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE), Division of School and Community Nutrition.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has set the income eligibility guidelines for students and adults to participate in free, reduced-price meal programs through the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) for 2024-2025. The CACFP is federally funded through the USDA and is administered by the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE), Division of School and Community Nutrition.
KDE partners with more than 170 school districts and community organizations to offer nutritious meals, recreational fun and educational activities while school is out of session at more than 2,000 sites across the Commonwealth. Meals are provided to children 18 and under.
The Summer Food Service Program, which is administered by the Kentucky Department of Education, will provide meals at no cost from June through August to children 18 and under who are from low-income families.
Many Kentucky families depend on free or reduced-price meals during the school year. When school is out for the summer, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Kentucky Department of Education’s (KDE’s) Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) help to ensure that children continue to receive nutritious meals to bridge the nutrition gap during these months.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has set the income eligibility guidelines for students and adults to participate in free, reduced-price meal programs through the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) for 2023-2024. The CACFP is federally funded through the USDA and is administered by the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE), Division of School and Community Nutrition.
The Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA) has been awarded $667,700 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA's) Food and Nutrition Service for a unique food service project involving high school Future Farmers of America (FFA) chapters.
During the summer months, the Summer Food Service Program, which is administered by the Kentucky Department of Education, will provide meals at no cost from June through August to children 18 and under who are from low-income families. The department partners with school districts and community organizations statewide to offer nutritious meals, recreational fun and educational activities while school is out of session.