Summer Meals for Kids interns Jenna Church, on left, and Magdalena Smyth.
(Photo Courtesy of Jason Grow)
ROCKPORT— A new site for local kids to get free summer meals from The Open Door opens in Rockport today.
“Starting today, local kids in Rockport can get breakfast and lunch meals for free from the Rockport Public Library, Monday through Saturday,” President and CEO Julie LaFontaine said. “These are meals kids can get for free during the school year and filling that gap in Rockport will help families keep their children nourished until class resumes in the fall.”
“The Rockport Library is pleased to announce we are now partnering with The Open Door to help bring meals to children in the community,” Rockport Public Library Director Cindy Grove said. “The library will have free breakfast and lunch available for the community every day that we are open. The library is glad to be able to provide more than just great books, but access to needed resources as well. Giving kids books and nutrition is a win-win, all the way around. The library belongs to the community and so it is important that our patrons can access what they need through its resources.”
The Rockport Public Library will offer meals starting on Monday, July 1 through August 23. Breakfast and lunch will be available Monday through Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Thursday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
To view the monthly Summer Meals for Kids menu, full site list, and for more information, visit FOODPANTRY.org/summermeals.
Children and teens age 18 and under are welcome to visit any of the participating sites during scheduled hours to receive free, nutritious meals through late August while school is out.
Last year, The Open Door Summer Meals for Kids program distributed more than 15,300 meals to children on the North Shore, prepared entirely in-house.
Additional participating sites include:
Gloucester Walk-Up Locations:
The Open Door at 28 Emerson Avenue
Breakfast and Lunch from June 17- Aug. 23
Mondays from 9:45 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Tuesday and Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Thursday and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Riverdale Park at 69 Veterans’ Way
Breakfast and Lunch from June 17- Aug. 23
Monday through Friday from 12:30 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Willowood Gardens at 40 Willowood Road
Breakfast and Lunch from June 17- Aug. 23
Monday through Friday from 11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
Pond View Village at 23 Lepage Lane
Breakfast and Lunch from June 17 – Aug. 23
Mondays through Friday from 11:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Gloucester High at 32 Leslie O. Johnson Road
Lunch from July 9 – Aug. 8
Monday through Friday from 9:45 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.
Field Days at Burnham’s Field with East Gloucester Community Church
7/11, 7/18, 7/25, 8/1, 8/8, 8/15, 8/22, 8/29
Lunch select Thursdays from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Story Hour at Sawyer Free Library with Backyard Growers
7/11, 7/18, 7/25, 8/1, 8/8, 8/15, 8/22, 8/29
Lunch select Thursdays from 10:45 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Gloucester Enrolled Locations:
O’Maley Academy at 32 Cherry Street (Breakfast and Lunch)
Camp Spindrift at 27 Atlantic Street (Lunch)
East Veterans School (Multiple Programs) at 11 Webster Street (Breakfast and Lunch)
GPS Extended School Year
Summer Learning
Gordon STEAM Camp
Ipswich Walk-Up Location:
Ipswich Community Food Pantry at 00 Southern Heights in Ipswich
Breakfast and Lunch from June 18 – Aug. 22
Wednesday and Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Open Tuesday June 18 and Tuesday July 2 due to holidays
Ipswich Enrolled Location:
Doyon Elementary School at 216 Linebrook Road in Ipswich
Breakfast and Lunch
The Open Door is proud to sponsor one federal Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) site this year at O’Maley Academy (more information on this below). The Open Door will privately fund at least 14 additional free Summer Meals for Kids sites where meals will be offered to children with flexibility and choice.
The Open Door Summer Meals for Kids program strives to accommodate all allergies and special diets, and to learn more about the program or inform staff of a dietary need, please call 978-283-6776 or email summermeals@foodpantry.org.
Meals may contain choking hazards for children under the age of four.
About The Open Door
The mission of The Open Door is to alleviate the impact of hunger in our community. We use practical strategies to connect people to good food, to advocate on behalf of those in need, and to engage others in the work of building food security.
Founded in 1978, The Open Door is a 501 (c)(3) tax exempt nonprofit and community food resource center for low-income residents of Gloucester, Rockport, Manchester, Essex, Ipswich, Hamilton, Boxford, Rowley, Topsfield, and Wenham. In 2023, The Open Door helped stabilize the lives and health of 9,836 people from 4,952 households through the distribution of 1.98 million pounds of food.
For more information, visit FOODPANTRY.org.
About the Summer Food Service Program
The Open Door is participating in the Summer Food Service Program. Meals will be provided to all eligible children free of charge. To be eligible to receive free meals at a residential or non-residential camp or at a conditional rural non-congregate site, children must meet income guidelines for free or reduced price meals in the National School Lunch Program. To view the USDA’s income eligibility guidelines for the 2024-2025 school year, click here.
Please note these eligibility guidelines ONLY apply to the O’Maley Academy site of The Open Door’s Summer Meals for Kids program this year, as that is the only site receiving SFSP funding this season.
Foster children or children who are part of households that receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits or benefits under the Food Distribution Program or Indian Reservations (FDPIR), or Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) are automatically eligible to receive free meals.
Acceptance and participation requirements for the Program and all activities are the same for all children regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability, and there will be no discrimination in the course of the meal service. Meals will be provided, at a first come, first serve basis, at the sites and times listed below:
O’Maley Academy at 32 Cherry Street from June 17-August 1 on Monday through Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.
Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.
To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ad-3027.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:
1. mail:
U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights 1400 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or
2. fax:
(833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
3. email:
Program.Intake@usda.gov
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
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