Kids are pictured during morning mealtime at Saturn Elementary in Cocoa, one of the sites where free breakfasts and lunches for kids younger than 18 are available through the Summer BreakSpot program.
Vista, California – The Vista Unified School District is using funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide free breakfast, lunch, and snacks to all children under the age of 18 throughout the summer. The program requires no paperwork or eligibility forms and is available to anyone who needs it. Five sites across San Diego’s North County serve as meal distribution points, with weekday service continuing through August 8.
The summer meals initiative is a response to persistent food insecurity affecting thousands of families in the region. According to data from the San Diego Hunger Coalition, nearly a third of children in the county live in households that struggle to put enough food on the table. During the school year, many of these children rely on free or reduced-price meals. In the summer months, programs like this one aim to fill that gap.
The Boys & Girls Club of Vista has become a critical access point for families during this period. Children not only receive meals during their time at the club, but they also return home with the reassurance of having eaten at least twice during the day — an important support for parents balancing work, child care, and tight grocery budgets.
Supporting the effort is the Jacobs and Cushman San Diego North County Food Bank, which processes more than 400,000 pounds of food through its Vista warehouse each month. The food bank partners with over 450 nonprofit organizations to distribute both fresh produce and non-perishable goods. In addition to those partnerships, the food bank provides direct assistance to families experiencing food shortages.
While food insecurity is often associated with homelessness or extreme poverty, many of the families using these services are employed and housed. They are part of the local community — working people facing high living costs, unexpected expenses, or inconsistent wages that make consistent access to food a challenge.
The free summer meal program is designed to meet those needs without stigma or barriers, providing consistent, healthy meals to children when they need them most. As the cost of living continues to rise, programs like this serve as a reminder that hunger doesn’t always look like desperation — sometimes, it looks like a child lining up for lunch at their local Boys & Girls Club.
