EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio — From June 16 through Aug. 18, East Cleveland will pass out free cold lunches first-come, first-served, Monday through Friday, to kids and teens between the ages of five and 18 at the Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center.
Even adults up to 21 years old with developmental disabilities can get a free lunch, too.
This comes after Interim Mayor Sandra Morgan said some Northeast Ohio school districts like East Cleveland have already wrapped up classes for the year, which leaves some students at risk of not eating.
“Many of our children here rely on school lunches and school breakfasts too, but school lunches in particular,” said Morgan. “Every once in a while, everyone needs a helping hand."
Morgan and Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Program Lead, Arthera Williams, said they're working with the Children’s Hunger Alliance to provide the free meals.
“We all know the grocery bills are high and kids love to eat throughout the day, so this takes a burden off of the parents from trying to provide food literally all day long. Us just simply providing lunch for them,” said Williams.
In January, a US Census report found East Cleveland has the lowest median family income of $37,500 in the US for cities with a population of 5,000 or more as of 2023.
RELATED: East Cleveland ranked lowest median family income in the US for cities with population of 5,000
“It’s sad, but just being able to provide a meal means a lot,” said Williams.
Morgan also said she’s happy to help families struggling to make ends meet throughout the summer months.
“Sometimes, it’s the only meal of the day that they will have or it certainly will be the biggest meal that they have and for those families who are struggling, this is an opportunity to lighten the load,” said Morgan.
The free lunch program is available Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
“It’s important [to] be instrumental in these kids’ lives and to know that they have a safe space here and they can get a meal here. They’ll keep coming back,” said Williams.
Williams encourages anyone with questions to reach out to the Civic Center at 216-851-1180, available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
