2025 Free Lunch + Play schedule
Play for days at Free Lunch + Play, where kids come to share a meal and have fun in the sun!
Monday through Friday from 10am to 2pm. Portland Public Schools, Centennial School District, Parkrose School District, and David Douglas School District provide meals. All meals adhere to the USDA Federal Lunch Program rules and regulations. Youth 18 years and under must be in person to receive meals, handwashing is required, meals must be eaten on-site, and meals may only be served during stated mealtimes. There is no program on Friday, July 4, 2025.
*If you bring 10 or more youth age 18 and under to receive free lunch, please contact 503-729-0332 at least five business days in advance to ensure we have lunches available.
Additional translations will be added in the coming weeks as we receive them.
Summer kick-off event
Join us as we celebrate the start of Free Lunch + Play on Thursday, June 26, at the new Parklane Park! The event will run from 11am to 1pm. Free lunch will be served from 11:30am to 1pm. or until meals run out. Arts in the Park will be crafting with kids, Rose City Rollers will have free roller skating for kids (bring socks), DJ George will be spinning tunes, and there will be lots of lawn games and fun!
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 late May 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 those aged 18 and under.
Question: Can I take the free lunch and leave the Free Lunch + Play area to eat it?
Answer: Per USDA federal guidelines, Free Lunch and play meals must be eaten on-site in the designated Free Lunch and play area.
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 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 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: What happens to the extra meals if a site has extra lunches at the end of their meal service time?
Answer: In 2024, Summer Free For All Free Lunch + Play donated 7,000 extra meals.
Question: Why do the mealtimes for the Free Lunch + Play Program vary from park to park, and are they not all at the same time?
Answer: Free Lunch + Play partners with four school districts for the USDA Summer Meal Program. Logistically, it is impossible to deliver and serve all the meals simultaneously at over 20 sites daily. Staggered mealtimes provide families with options to attend at a time that works for their family.
Question: Can an adult buy a meal?
Answer: No.