Cedar Rapids schools to offer free summer meals for children 18 and under starting June 8

The Cedar Rapids Community School District (CRCSD) will provide free summer meals to all children 18 and younger from June 8 to Aug. 14, 2026, the district announced.

Meals are served Monday through Friday, with no service June 19 (Juneteenth) or July 3. Breakfast runs 8–9:30 a.m. and lunch 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m. at most sites. All meals must be eaten on site; no grab-and-go is available. No ID, enrollment, or paperwork is required—the child just needs to be present.

Ten primary sites offer both breakfast and lunch: Cleveland Elementary, Erskine Elementary, Johnson STEAM Academy, Nixon Elementary (Hiawatha), Roosevelt Creative Corridor Business Academy, Cedar River Academy at Taylor, Trailside Elementary, Truman Early Learning Center, Viola Gibson Elementary, and West Willow Elementary.

Lunch-only sites include Noelridge Park and Morgan Creek Park (June 8–Aug. 14) and Metro High School (June 8–18 only).

Three locations—Johnson STEAM Academy, Roosevelt Creative Corridor Business Academy, and Cedar River Academy at Taylor—also offer free adult meals (one per adult, grant-funded, adult must be present).

"Open to all children 18 and younger. NO Enrollment, meals are FREE!" the district emphasized.

The Johnson STEAM Academy site was expanded to serve adults using $10,000 in ARPA funds allocated by the Linn County Board of Supervisors, partly in response to the closure of the First Avenue Hy-Vee, The Gazette reported.

Superintendent Tawana Grover said the funding "will be utilized to procure the food required for the successful implementation and operation of the program," adding that meals "will now be able to serve people of any age at no cost to themselves."

State Rep. Sami Scheetz, D-Cedar Rapids, praised local response to the Hy-Vee closure: "By providing free meals to individuals of all ages, we're ensuring that everyone in our community has access to nutritious food."

The program is part of the USDA's SUN Meals initiative. According to the Iowa Department of Education, more than 530 sites across Iowa are serving free meals this summer. Kala Shipley, chief of the department's Bureau of Nutrition and Health Services, said: "Children and teens who rely on school meals during the school year will continue to have access to meals, snacks and other partner resources this summer."

Additionally, the SUN Bucks program provides $120 in grocery benefits per eligible child for the summer; children can receive both SUN Bucks and SUN Meals.

Menus are available via Nutrislice. For more information, contact CRCSD Food Service Manager Jennifer Hook at 319-558-2305 or foodservice@crschools.us.