Newly released data from No Kid Hungry Kentucky, the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) and Feeding Kentucky shows a historic expansion of summer meal access for children across the Commonwealth in 2025.
For the first time, free summer meals were available in all 120 Kentucky counties. Between May and August, nearly 11 million meals were served to children statewide—an increase of nearly 3 million from 8.1 million meals in summer 2024 and 5.3 million in summer 2023.
SUN meals’ impact
Officials credit much of the growth to the expanded use of SUN Meals to Go, a grab-and-go option that allows families, particularly in rural areas, to pick up multiple days’ worth of meals for off-site consumption.
Over 9.1 million SUN Meals to Go were delivered by program sponsors in 113 counties in the summer of 2025, making up 83% of all summer meals served in the state.
“Children who depend on school lunch and breakfast can now access healthy summer meals in every Kentucky county,” said Program Manager Cathy Gallagher in a statement. “My staff and I are honored to help many school districts and other organizations close the hunger gap so that children are supported. This helps ensure that kids return to school healthy and ready to learn at the end of summer.”
Two counties that previously lacked access to U.S. Department of Agriculture summer meal programs—Caldwell and Green—were brought into the statewide network in 2025.
Caldwell County schools and Feeding America Kentucky’s Heartland Food Bank became new summer meal sponsors, with support from No Kid Hungry, KDE and the Kentucky Kids Eat Program of Feeding Kentucky to expand SUN Meals to Go service in rural communities.
How libraries played a key role
Public libraries were also instrumental in expanding access, serving as sponsors or meal sites in as many as one-third of Kentucky counties. The Lawrence County Public Library returned as a sponsor, while libraries in Green and Casey counties helped close service gaps where no summer meals were available the previous year.
“Without access to school meals, summer can be the hungriest time of year for kids across the Commonwealth. Closing the gap in local access to summer meals among Kentucky counties is a perfect example of how local school districts, community organizations such as food banks and public libraries, our Kentucky Department of Education and anti-hunger organizations like Feeding Kentucky and No Kid Hungry can work together to reduce food insecurity when school is out of session,” said John Cain, Kentucky Kids Eat Program Director, Feeding Kentucky and Co-Manager, No Kid Hungry Kentucky.
This article appears in Jan 1-31, 2026.