The Summer Food Service Program is ready to serve free lunch for children ages 18 and younger in the Northern Marianas.

Dale Roberts is the Director of CNMI’s PSS Child Nutrition Program and he said, “Our summer food service programs are open sites where kids from the neighborhood can drop in and get a free lunch. Notice I said kids and not students, because this is a community-based program that is for kids that are 18 years and younger all the way down.”

“I mean, literally, if in your household just had a baby four months ago, we don't have baby food or anything like that, you could bring the baby in technically and pick up a meal for that child and go,” Roberts said.

The program runs from June 24 to Aug. 2 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. at designated sites on Saipan, Rota, and Tinian while supplies last.

“Now we're back to the regular routine, which is the child has to be on-site, and we've gotten a lot of grief over the last couple of years trying to go back to the regular routine, But, that's that's what it is. So, you can take as many meals as you want but you have to have the child on-site for each one of them,” he added.

The Summer Food Service Program is funded by USDA and administered by the CNMI PSS Child Nutrition Program

“You don't have to be a public school student. You don't have to be enrolled in any school. You just need to be someone 18 years and younger to be able to walk in and take your own lunch for free,” he said.