Free summer lunches for out-of-school kids

This summer, the Redwood Empire Food Bank is offering healthy, free lunches to children 18 and under across Sonoma County as part of its annual Monday-Friday Summer Lunch program. Statistics show that 1 in 6 children do not know where their next meal will come from, especially during summer vacation, when school lunch programs are not available.

The Food Bank is partnering with the Sonoma County Library, Burbank Housing and other child program organizations like the Boys and Girls Clubs to help close this meal gap over the summer at designated summer lunch sites throughout Sonoma County, including Petaluma.

“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, Hunger Relief Worker and Every Child, Every Day Manager at the Redwood Empire Food Bank. “We are also encouraging children to bring a friend.”

The locations for the summer lunch program in Petaluma are the Petaluma Regional Library (100 Fairgrounds Dr.) from 12-12:30 p.m. (beginning June 12 and running through Aug. 4) and Round Walk at 745 McDowell Blvd., from 11:30 a.m. to 12 p.m (beginning June 5 and running through Aug. 4). There will be no lunches on June 19 and July 4 at both of these locations.

That’s not the only opportunity in Petaluma for hungry folks to pick up some healthy food at the library. Beginning on July 15, and continuing through October 21, the Petaluma Regional Library will again be the location of Petaluma’s Produce & Pantry Food Share program, in which locals are invited to drop off food stuffs from 10 a.m. to noon, and anyone in need of food is invited to come and take whatever they will be able to eat.

Sponsored by 350Petaluma, this is the second year of the program, which will continue on the third Saturday of the month.