Owsley County Schools offers free summer meals for kids through July 23

Free summer lunches will be waiting at Owsley County High School for families trying to stretch grocery budgets once school lets out. Owsley County Schools said meals will be free for all children 18 and under, with pickup set for Tuesdays and Thursdays from June 2 through July 23, 2026, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the OCHS Kitchen Door.

The district’s May 14 announcement also asked families to register in advance by completing the sign-up form now. That step gives Owsley County Schools Food Service time to plan staffing, prepare food, and match the number of meals to the number of children expected at the Booneville site.

The summer meal program arrives at a time when school calendars no longer cover lunch, but work schedules, transportation gaps, and child care demands still shape what families can put on the table. In a county with an estimated population of 3,932 and a poverty rate of 32.9 percent, the twice-weekly pickup is more than a convenience. It is a practical way to keep children fed during the long stretch between the end of the school year and the return to class.

The Kentucky Department of Education now calls the program SUN Meals, the new name for the Summer Food Service Program. State guidance says all children ages 1 through 18 are eligible for free meals at participating sites, and some 19- to 21-year-olds with disabilities who are enrolled in educational programs and following an IEP may also qualify. Federal rules also allow rural non-congregate models, including pickup and delivery, so meal service can fit the realities of low-density counties like Owsley.

That matters in a place where distance can turn a basic errand into a planning problem. No Kid Hungry Kentucky has said non-congregate service helps address transportation barriers in rural areas by letting operators provide meals for pickup or delivery instead of requiring children to eat on site. For Owsley County, keeping the pickup at Owsley County High School gives the program a familiar anchor in Booneville and a fixed rhythm families can plan around.

The district used a school-only pickup model in 2025, showing the summer meal effort is part of an established local routine rather than a one-time campaign. The broader state picture is even larger: Kentucky officials said in January that free summer meals were available in all 120 counties in 2025, with nearly 11 million meals served statewide between May and August. For Owsley County, this year’s schedule places the county squarely inside that network of summer food access, one meal pickup at a time.