Redwood Empire Food Bank offers free lunches for Sonoma County kids

When Sonoma County schools close for summer break, Redwood Empire Food Bank’s long-running lunch program will return this year to ensure kids don’t have to go without a midday meal.

The program, for children 18 and under, will operate from June 5 to Aug. 4 at nearly two dozen sites throughout the county in Santa Rosa, Petaluma, Rohnert Park, Cloverdale, Healdsburg, Larkfield, Sonoma, Sebastopol and Cotati.

A full list of site locations, along with dates and times they’re open, can be found at refb.org/summer-lunch-2023, or you can call 2-1-1.

The federally funded program is in partnership with Sonoma County Library, Burbank Housing and other child-welfare organizations including the Boys and Girls Clubs.

“We are delighted to host another year of Summer Lunch and excited to see families convening at sites with our sit-down service,” said Maria Fuentes, a program manager at the food bank, in a news release. “We are also encouraging children to bring a friend.”

From the early days of the pandemic through summer 2022, a federal waiver allowed the program to offer a grab-and-go option to help overcome the volunteer shortage caused by COVID-19 restrictions. This year, all sites are back to offering only sit-down meal options, said Rachelle Mesheau, spokesperson for Redwood Empire Food Bank.

For more information about the Summer Lunch Program, call the Redwood Empire Food Bank at 707-523-7903.

You can reach Staff Writer Alana Minkler at 707-526-8531 or alana.minkler@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @alana_minkler.