Libraries in at least a third of counties including Lawrence come to rescue

(FRANKFORT, KY) – 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.

A major contributor to the expanding reach of summer meal programs across the Commonwealth is the widespread availability of SUN Meals to Go, a grab and go option which allows rural families the flexibility to pick up multiple days’ worth of meals to eat off-site or at home. Local school districts and community organizations serving as program sponsors in 113 of Kentucky’s 120 counties served over 9.1 million SUN Meals to Go during summer 2025, representing 83% of all summer meals served in the state.

“Children who depend on school lunch and breakfast can now access healthy summer meals in every Kentucky county,” said Cathy Gallagher, Summer Food Service program manager at the Kentucky Department of Education. “My staff and I are honored to help many school districts and other organizations close the hunger gap so that children are supported. This helps ensure that kids return to school healthy and ready to learn at the end of summer.”

Long standing gaps in local access to U.S. Department of Agriculture summer meal programs in Caldwell and Green counties were closed in 2025 when Caldwell County schools and Feeding America Kentucky’s Heartland Food Bank became summer meal sponsors. No Kid Hungry, KDE and the Kentucky Kids Eat Program of Feeding Kentucky provided support to these partners in their expansion and delivery of much-needed SUN Meals to Go service in rural communities.

Public libraries played pivotal roles in summer meal availability in as many as a third of Kentucky counties. The Lawrence County Public Library returned as a sponsor, and many other libraries also served as meal sites. Public libraries in Green and Casey Counties, in particular – where no summer meals were available in 2024 – played key roles in closing gaps for summer meal service in 2025.

“Without access to school meals, summer can be the hungriest time of year for kids across the Commonwealth. Closing the gap in local access to summer meals among Kentucky counties is a perfect example of how local school districts, community organizations such as food banks and public libraries, our Kentucky Department of Education and anti-hunger organizations like Feeding Kentucky and No Kid Hungry  can work together to reduce food insecurity when school is out of session,” said John Cain, Kentucky Kids Eat Program Director, Feeding Kentucky and Co-Manager, No Kid Hungry Kentucky.