School may be out for the summer, but the Department of Education is ensuring children will not go hungry during their time off.
The DOE launched its annual summer meal program at about 1,000 locations on Friday. The program has been ongoing for more than 30 years. Any child 18 years old and younger is eligible to participate. There is no application process, nor is a child required to be enrolled in summer school.
Free breakfast and lunch will be provided at a number of locations, including pools, school libraries and parks throughout the five boroughs.
The meal sites will serve breakfast weekdays from 8 a.m. until 9:15 a.m., and lunch from 11 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.
The DOE says that last year, more than 7.6 million meals were served. The program will run until Aug. 29.