McKinney ISD offers free summer meals for children, teens

When school-year routines fall away, McKinney families will be able to send children and teens to two district campuses for free breakfast and lunch all summer long. McKinney Independent School District will participate in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s SUN Meals program, offering meals to anyone 18 and under at no cost and without registration or an ID.

Meals will begin June 1 at Faubion Middle School, 2000 Rollins St., McKinney, TX 75069, and continue there through July 24. Breakfast will be served from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., and lunch from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. At Lawson Early Childhood, 500 Dowell St., McKinney, TX 75071, meals will also start June 1 but end June 23. There, breakfast will run from 7:20 a.m. to 8 a.m., and lunch from 10:45 a.m. to noon.

The district said the program is meant to keep young people fed with nutritious meals while campus cafeterias are closed for the summer. James Shoemake, McKinney ISD’s student nutrition district manager, said, “Good nutrition shouldn’t take a summer break.” The meals must follow USDA nutrition guidelines and will be served in a safe, supervised setting.

The local need is part of a larger statewide problem. Texas children who rely on school breakfast and lunch during the academic year can face a nutrition gap once classes end, especially in households balancing childcare, work schedules and rising food costs. Feeding Texas has said one in four Texas children faces hunger during the summer, when school meals disappear.

McKinney ISD ran a similar summer meal program in 2025, using two campuses to reach children 18 and younger and enrolled students with disabilities up to age 21. This year’s SUN Meals program keeps the focus broader, with USDA saying any child 18 and under can receive meals without an application. In some rural communities, the federal program also offers SUN Meals To-Go, and eligible school-aged children may qualify for SUN Bucks.

Texas officials are also preparing for wider summer nutrition coverage across the state. In January 2026, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said the Texas Department of Agriculture was accepting sponsor applications for the 2026 Summer Meal Programs, which can include schools, nonprofits, churches, city governments and other eligible organizations. Approved rural sponsors can use grab-and-go meals, home delivery, multi-day bundling and parent pick-up options.

Families looking for nearby meal sites can use McKinney ISD information, the USDA summer meals site finder, text alerts or the national hunger hotline. For many households in Collin County, the two McKinney campuses will serve as a practical safety net when the school year ends and the summer budget tightens.