Free Meals for York County Kids (Summer Feeding)

by Liz Duda

June 11, 2020 (York County, SC) Many people throughout York County are working to ensure that kids are fed this summer. With today’s economic challenges, families are encouraged to take advantage of free meal offerings to keep kids from being hungry. Nutritious meals are vital to the health, happiness and growth of a child.

York School District 1 Feeding

During the school year when school buildings closed, all four York County-area school districts stepped up to provide free meals to students in need. With summer starting, the Rock Hill School District (RHSD) will continue to offer free meals at five schools (one site changed); York School District 1 will continue distributing free meals via its bus routes and at York Comprehensive High School. The Clover Area Assistance Center has worked with the Clover School District and York Summer Feeding to serve Clover kids, and also will take on the school district’s summer backpack program. While the RHSD will no longer distribute to the community sites, H.O.P.E. Summer Feeding will offer free meals at several community locations in Rock Hill. York Summer Feeding will serve throughout York County, including through partnerships. Organizers are working to open at least one site in the Paradise neighborhood in Fort Mill. If you want to partner with a provider to serve an area in need, please let us know!

Below are current Summer Feeding Sites for kids throughout York County; more may be added in the future. Demand may be high and food may run out early but the operators are trying their best.

York (York Summer Feeding)

  1. York Comprehensive High School drive-through line; six days of “meal kits” (breakfasts & lunches), weekly on Wednesdays, 06/10-07/29
  2. 20 buses; six days of “meal kits” (breakfasts & lunches), weekly on Wednesdays, 06/10-07/29
  3. Magnolia/Fairview Apartments, York, Monday-Thursday, 11:15am-12:15pm
  4. Cedar Terrace Apartments, York, Monday-Thursday, 12:30-1:30pm
  5. York Recreation Center, York, Monday & Thursday, 12:30-1:30pm
  6. Sharon Park, York, Monday-Thursday, 11:15am-12:15pm
  7. Hickory Grove Park, York, Monday-Thursday, 12:30-1:30pm

Rock Hill (York Summer Feeding)

  1. Vision and Beyond Ministries, 2939 India Hook Rd., Rock Hill, Monday-Friday, 12-1pm

Rock Hill (H.O.P.E. Summer Feeding) (other sites to be added)

H.O.P.E. Summer Feeding – Free Lunch for Kids HopeRockHill.com
  1. Armory Park, 714 South Confederate, Rock Hill
  2. College Down Park, 1829 King Drive, Rock Hill
  3. The Glens, 1041 Glenarden Dr., Rock Hill
  4. Market Place Apartments, 1333 Armoret Ct., Rock Hill
  5. East Moore Street, 271 E. Moore St., Rock Hill
  6. Workman Street Apartments, 380 Workman St., Rock Hill
  7. New Mount Olivet A.M.E. Zion Church, 527 Dave Lyle Blvd. Rock Hill, 11am-noon, thru Aug. 14
  8. Highland Park, Rock Hill – CONFIRM

Rock Hill (RHSD), Mondays-Thursdays, 8-10am and 11am-1pm “grab n go breakfasts & lunches”

Rock Hill Schools Summer Feeding
  1. Belleview Elementary, 501 Belleview Rd., Rock Hill
  2. Finley Road Elementary, 1089 Finley Rd., Rock Hill
  3. Richmond Drive Elementary, 1162 Richmond Dr., Rock Hill
  4. Rosewood Elementary, 2240 Rosewood Dr., Rock Hill
  5. Rawlinson Road Middle School, 2631 W. Main St., Rock Hill

Clover (York Summer Feeding in partnership with Clover Area Assistance Center)

Clover Area Assistance Center Summer Food Service Program
  1. First Baptist Church, 117 S. Main Street, Clover, six days of “meal kits” (breakfasts & lunches), Wednesdays, 10am-12:30pm, 6/10-07/29

Background: York County has two groups participating in the USDA Food and Nutrition Services Summer Food Service Program, a federally-funded, state-administered program that reimburses program operators which serve free healthy meals and snacks to children in low-income areas. H.O.P.E. serves select Rock Hill parks and apartment complexes (H.O.P.E. Summer Feeding). The York School District One (YSD1) serves the rest of York County (York Summer Feeding (YSF)), both operating its own sites and through partnerships. Through a partnership with YSF, the Clover Area Assistance Center (CAAC) will distribute boxed meals to Clover-area kids, as well as bread, produce, and potentially one larger product such as peanut butter, a box of cereal, or canned meat, for the household, using CAAC resources. This year, summer feeding programs have received waivers to allow for “no congregation” (i.e., food recipients are not required to consume the meal on premises) and “multiple feeding days” (i.e., food recipients may receive more than one meal at a time). This enables some feeding sites to offer “grab n go” meals this summer.

Program websites:
https://www.rock-hill.k12.sc.us/mealsites
https://hoperockhill.com/
https://www.york.k12.sc.us/summerfeeding
https://cloverareaassistance.org/