Free Lunch + Play supports families by offering nutritious meals and recreational activities during the summer recess.
Working alongside school districts, community partners, arts organizations, and hunger relief groups, PP&R coordinates Free Lunch + Play to ensure that it meets the needs in our community. During the school year, 57% of young Portlanders qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Without school lunches, summer becomes the time when nearly 50,000 Portland children face hunger daily. Free Lunch + Play offers accessible meal service and engaging activities at multiple parks throughout the city. In addition, Mobile Free Lunch + Play allows us to expand our program directly to children and families at apartment complexes and parks in even more neighborhoods.
Program Partners
The success of this program depends on lasting partnerships with a wide variety of community groups. For summer 2022, Free Lunch + Play is thankful to the following partners and groups that help provide additional activities, nutrition, and education services at Free Lunch + Play sites. If you are interested in being a Program Partner in 2023, more information will be available on this website by January 1, 2023.
Nutrition Partners:
- Centennial School District
- David Douglas School District
- Parkrose School District
- Portland Public School District
Program Partners:
- The Bookmobile Babe
- Care Oregon
- Community Music Center
- PP&R Environmental Education
- Friends of Baseball
- Independent Publishing Resource Center
- Multnomah Arts Center
- Multnomah County Library Books 2 U
- Multnomah County Holgate Library
- Multnomah County North Portland Library
- One World Chorus
- Oregon Food Bank
- PPS Head Start
- Portland Backpack
- Portland Free Play
- Portland Opera
- Rose City Rollers
- Talk About Trees
- Urban Gleaners