Renton free Summer Meals program returns to feed the county’s youth

Children and youth up to the age of 18 are able to take part in the annual summer program.

By Bailey Jo Josie bailey.jo.josie@rentonreporter.com • June 14, 2022 4:00 pm
Children grab their free bag lunch through the Renton Summer Meals program. Photos courtesy of Renton School District.

Starting Monday June 27, the Renton Summer Meals program is returning to provide free meals to children during the 2022 summer break.

“We give out thousands of meals every summer,” said Randy Matheson, Executive Director of Community Relations for the Renton School District, which has been offering this service to south King County for over a decade.

The free food program is for local youth up to the age of 18, with no registration or I.D. required. Matheson said that many families make it a picnic affair, since all meals must be eaten on-site. Meals are a bag lunch that includes sandwiches, fruits, vegetables and milk or water. The food is provided by the Renton Nutrition Services which also feeds Renton students during the school year.

This year’s service will have three different summer sites with different days, times, and locations.

The first site runs Monday to Friday from June 27 to Aug. 19 with various hours. There will be no meals available on Monday July 4 or Tuesday July 5. There are seven different locations for these dates:

  • Heritage Park, 233 Union Ave. NW, Renton, 11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., with snacks available from 2-2:15 p.m.
  • Liberty Park, 1101 Bronson Way N, Renton, 11-11:15 a.m.
  • Sunset Park, 2680 Sunset Lane NE, Renton, noon to 12:30 p.m., with snacks available from 2-2:15 p.m.
  • St. Matthew’s Church, 1700 Edmonds Ave. NE, Renton, noon to 1 p.m.
  • Creston Point Apartments, 13445 MLK Jr. Way S, Seattle, 11-11:30 a.m.
  • Royal Hills Apartments, 3000 Royal Hills Drive SE, Renton, 11:40 a.m. to noon.
  • Stonebrook Apartments, 12210 SE Petrovitsky Road, Renton, 12:20-12:40 p.m.

The second site, which runs from July 6 to July 28, provides breakfast from 8:30-9 a.m. and lunch from noon to 12:30 p.m. These three locations will be open Monday to Thursday only:

  • Campbell Hill Elementary, 6418 S 124th St., Seattle.
  • Honey Dew Elementary, 800 Union Ave. NE, Renton.
  • Tiffany Park Elementary, 1601 Lake Youngs Way SE, Renton.

The third site will only be available Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from July 6 to Aug. 19 at two locations:

  • Arbor Woods Apartments, 6230 S 129th St., Seattle, 11:30 a.m. to noon The free lunch service is only available to residents of the apartment complex.
  • Salvation Army, 720 S Tobin St., Renton, 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.