Youth 18 years old and under can get free lunches at parks across Tacoma this summer through the Metro Parks. In addition to lunch, activities and games are led by staff at many of the sites.

• Monday-Friday, from June 24 - Aug. 30 (no program on July 4)
• Lunch: 12:30-1:30 p.m. (meals must be eaten on site)
• Activities: 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Lunch & Playground Program:

• Franklin Park, 1201 S. Puget Sound Ave.
• Manitou Park, 4408 American Lake Blvd.
• Northeast Tacoma Playground, 5520 29th St. N.E.
• South Park, 4851 S. Tacoma Way
• Verlo Playfield, 4321 McKinley Ave.
• Wright Park, 501 South I St.

Lunch Only:

• Roosevelt Park, 3601 E. Roosevelt Ave.
• Salishan Family Investment Center, 1724 East 44th St.
• Titlow Park, 8425 6th Ave.
• Wapato Park, 6500 S. Sheridan Ave.

Find meal and playground sites here.

Funding available for summer meals for eligible families
SUN Bucks, also know as P-EBT, is a new federal program to support families who lose access to free school meals over the summer months. Families will receive an allotment of $120 for each eligible child to help cover the cost of groceries from when school is out of session. SUN Bucks can be used to buy food at locations like grocery stores, farmers markets and corner stores.

Eligibility for SUN Bucks is based primarily on household income or participation in other public assistance programs like SNAP and TANF. Use this screening tool to see if your child is eligible for this program.

More summer meal options
No matter where you’ll be this summer, you can use the USDA website to find summer meal programs across the country.

Families seeking food assistance for their children can also contact the USDA National Hunger Hotline, operated by Hunger Free America. The hotline can be reached Monday through Friday between 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Eastern time at 

• 1-866-3-HUNGRY (1-866-348-6479) (for English) or 
• 1-877-8-HAMBRE (1-877-842-6273) (for Spanish)

Free breakfast and lunch for 2024-25 school year
When school starts Sept. 9, TPS students will continue to receive breakfast and lunch at no cost. More details will be provided closer to the start of school.