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NEWS RELEASE
June 20, 2025
Media Contact: Liz Merah
Two Ways to Reduce Childhood Hunger
in Oregon This Summer
The Summer Food Service Program offers free, nutritious meals at sites all over the state, and the Summer EBT program provides $120 per eligible child for groceries.
(Salem, OR) – Nearly 30 million children participate in USDA’s school breakfast and lunch programs on an average school day. When school is out for the summer, kids lose access to these healthy meals, but they still need nutritious food to grow healthy and strong. This year, there are now two programs in Oregon that will improve access until school starts again in the fall.
Summer Food Service Program
The Summer Food Service Program helps fill the gap by providing free nutritious meals to children and teens over the summer months. Free meals and enrichment activities are offered at more than 450 locations throughout the state, including many schools, parks and other non-profit organizations. A complete list of these Oregon locations can be found on the ODE website.
Meals are available to any child 18 and under without regard to race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), age or disability.
Finding Meal Sites
There are more than 450 summer meal sites in Oregon alone.
Families can look up meal locations in their area by:
If you have questions about the Summer Food Service Program, please email ODE Community Nutrition Manager Meghan Tschida or call (971) 701- 9004.
Summer EBT Reminder
Oregon Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (Summer EBT) is a food benefits program that helps shrink the hunger gap when children are on summer break and don’t have easy access to healthy meals at school. Summer EBT provides $120 per eligible child to buy food.
This is the second year of Oregon’s Summer EBT program. On May 22, 2025, about 336,000 children got the benefit on an Oregon EBT card. Families should check their EBT card balance at www.ebtedge.com to confirm receipt.
Families who didn’t automatically get Summer EBT on May 22, 2025 should check program requirements before applying. Families can check requirements at sebt.oregon.gov or by contacting the Summer EBT Call Center at 833-673-7328. The Call Center is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., PDT. Apply online in English and Spanish or with a paper application in multiple languages at sebt.oregon.gov.
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In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.
Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.
To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR%20P-Complaint-Form-0508-0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:
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mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights 1400 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or
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fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
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email: intake@usda.gov
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
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