19 Hawaii Island schools to offer free summer meals for children

Free breakfasts and lunches at Hawaii Island campuses will give working families one less grocery bill to carry through the summer break, when the school routine that anchors many households disappears. The state Department of Education said 19 Hawaii Island schools will serve children 18 and younger from June 9 through July 17, and children do not need to be enrolled in public school to take part. Superintendent Keith Hayashi said the meals are meant to leave children “nourished, focused and ready to learn” when classes resume.

The school sites are spread across East Hawaii and West and North Hawaii, putting meals within reach of communities that can be hard to connect by car or bus. East Hawaii campuses include Hilo High, Hilo Intermediate, Kalanianaole Elementary in Papaikou, Keaau Elementary, Keaau High, Keaau Middle, Keaukaha Elementary, Keonepoko Elementary, Mountain View Elementary, Pāhoa High and Intermediate, Waiākea High and Intermediate and Waiakeawaena Elementary. West and North Hawaii sites include Honokaa High and Intermediate, Kealakehe Elementary and Intermediate, Kohala High, Kohala Middle and Waimea Elementary.

Meals will be served Monday through Friday, with breakfast from 7:15 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. and lunch from 10:30 a.m. to noon. There will be no service on June 11 for Kamehameha Day or July 3 for Independence Day observed, and every meal must be eaten on campus, with no grab-and-go option. Families needing special diet accommodations can seek help through the school food program.

The summer meal plan runs through the USDA’s Seamless Summer Option, a federal program intended to keep nutrition flowing after the school-year breakfast and lunch programs end. State rules say participating campuses must meet eligibility requirements tied to free- and reduced-price lunch participation and host a summer program on campus. Hawaii’s summer network has shifted in recent years: 74 public schools statewide will participate this summer, up from 68 last summer, while the Big Island had 15 participating schools in 2025 and 23 in 2023. For families who cannot make the school-site schedule work, Vibrant Hawaii’s Kaukau 4 Keiki remains another Hawaii Island summer meal option, operating since 2021. On a county where distance and food prices often hit the same household budget, school cafeterias are again serving as basic social infrastructure.