SANTA CRUZ COUNTY – The annual Summer Lunch program, sponsored by La Manzana Community Resources (LMCR), a program of Community Bridges’ Family Resource Collective, will kick off on Monday, June 10.
Kids 18 and younger can pick up a FREE lunch at various sites in Santa Cruz and Watsonville through early-August. Most Watsonville sites will distribute lunches through August 2.
Through Community Bridges, the Summer Lunch program served 30,000 meals over the last three years, helping combat local childhood hunger and its deleterious impacts on the area’s youngest residents. When school districts close for the summer many students who are not attending ongoing educational programs miss out on what sometimes is their only complete meal. It is estimated that more than 30 million children across the U.S. depend on free meal programs such as these and it’s even more critical when the traditional sources of that access are closed for summer.
Free meals will be provided to all children 0-18, without eligibility documentation, at the following sites from 12PM-1PM, Monday through Friday. Serving dates are June 10 – August 9.
- La Manzana Community Resources: 521 Main St., Watsonville, CA 95076
- Stone Creek Apartments: 300 Bree Lane, Watsonville, CA 95076
- Vista Verde Apartments: 45 Steward Ave., Freedom, CA 95019
- Corralitos Creek Apartments: 125 Pajaro Circle, Freedom, CA 95019
Free meals will be provided to all children 0-18, without eligibility documentation, at the following sites from 12PM-1PM, Monday through Friday. Serving dates are June 10 – August 2.
- Boys and Girls Club of Santa Cruz: 543 Center St., Santa Cruz, CA 95060
- Nueva Vista at Beach Flats Park: 131 Leibrandt Ave. Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Free meals will be provided to all children 0-18, without eligibility documentation, at the following sites from 12PM-1PM, Monday through Friday. Serving dates are June 24 – August 2.
- Pippin Orchards: 56 Atkinson Lane, Watsonville, CA 95076
- Sunny Meadows: 220 Ross Ave., Watsonville, Freedom, CA 95019
- Schapiro Knolls: 33 Minto Rd., Watsonville, CA 95076
According to Feeding America, more than 9 million U.S. children faced hunger in 2021. In addition, USDA data shows that childhood hunger was more prevalent among Black and Latino children, as 22% of Black children were food insecure, and 18.5% of Latino children were food insecure in 2021.
Kids who are facing hunger, according to Feeding America, were more likely to repeat a grade in school, experience developmental impairments in areas like language and motor skills and have more social and behavioral problems.
A combination of federal, state, and local funding supports most of the Summer Lunch Program costs. But approximately 30% of the cost of this program is covered through donations. Now more than ever when local county CORE funding is no longer available to support these programs, we need community support. Those interested in making an individual donation to support the program may do so by visiting communitybridges.org/donate and selecting “La Manzana Community Resource Center.”
Those interested in volunteering to help serve lunches, or to support any of our other programs, should visit communitybridges.org/volunteer.
About the Family Resource Collective
Community Bridges Family Resource Collective has four locations to meet the needs of Santa Cruz County residents. Our centers in Santa Cruz, Felton, Live Oak and Watsonville create a safety net of services to meet individual and household needs. Our compassionate staff build a warm, friendly, safe place for the community to access resources that offer stability and hope for the future.
About Community Bridges
Community Bridges envisions a thriving community where every person has the opportunity to unleash their full potential. Together, our family of programs delivers essential services, provides equitable access to resources, and advocates for health and dignity across every stage of life. To learn more, please visit www.communitybridges.org.
