2024 Free Lunch + Play
Play for days at Free Lunch + Play, where kids come to share a meal and have fun in the sun!
During the summer of 2024, Free Lunch + Play was proud to partner with Portland Public Schools, Centennial School District, David Douglas School District and Parkrose School District in providing the USDA Federal Lunch Program at 22 park sites and 5 mobile sites across the City of Portland. We partnered with 24 community program partners who provided engagement in arts, literacy, food security, recreation, and culture to enhance our daily activities. And finally, we hired and trained 100 staff to play with the community all summer long! While the 2024 season has concluded, we are now busy at work planning for summer 2025 and the addition of two new Free Lunch + Play sites at Mill Park and Parklane Park.
Free Lunch + Play
Click on the video below to get a taste of the Summer Free For All's Free Lunch + Play program!
Commonly Asked Questions
Question: Who do I contact to receive translated versions of the 2025 Summer Free For All Schedule?
Answer: The 2025 Free Lunch + Play schedule will be available online in April and in print by mid-May. To be added to our distribution list for 2025, please email Alicia.Hammock@PortlandOregon.gov and include what languages you are interested in and if you'd like a printed version or a digital version.
Question: How old do you have to be to get a free meal?
Answer: Free meals are given to ages 18 and under.
Question: Can I take the free lunch and leave the Free Lunch + Play area to eat it?
Answer: Free Lunch + Play meals are required to be eaten on-site in the designated Free Lunch + Play area per the USDA Federal guidelines.
Question:Do you have to be present to receive a meal?
Answer: Yes, anyone receiving a meal must be in person to receive a meal. This means they must wash and dry their hands, receive the meal in person, and eat lunch at the site.
Question: Can I pick up a lunch before or after the stated mealtime for the park?
Answer: Lunches may only be distributed by staff during the designated mealtimes for the site that are approved by the Oregon Department of Education and adhere to the Oregon Health Authority rules for safe food practices.
Question: Can my child take two lunches?
Answer: No, per USDA Federal guidelines, each child may receive one lunch. Sites will have a "No Thank You Table" with parts of lunches that people don't want, and youth can take what they want from that space during the mealtime service hours for the site.
Question: If a site has extra lunches at the end of their meal service time, what happens to the extra meals?
Answer: In 2023, Summer Free For All Free Lunch + Play donated 7,850 extra meals.
Question: Why do the mealtimes vary from park to park for the Free Lunch + Play Program and are they not all at the same time?
Answer: Free Lunch + Play partners with four different school districts for the USDA Summer Meal Program. Logistically, it is not possible to have all the meals delivered and served at the same time at over 20 sites daily. Staggered mealtimes provide families with options to attend a time that works for their family.
Question: Can an adult buy a meal?
Answer: No.