Free meals will be provided beginning Monday, June 9, at 17 sites to all eligible youth (18 years old and younger) and summer day camp program participants that meet the income guidelines for reduced-price meals in the National School Lunch Program. 

The City of Akron is providing the meals, which will be prepared by Akron Public Schools and passed out at a variety of community centers and other locations in the city. The program runs Monday through Friday from June 9 to Aug. 1, excluding holidays.

Children who are part of households that receive food stamps or Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) are automatically eligible to receive the free meals.

For information about program sites or details, contact Robert Dowdell, Akron’s food service program coordinator, at 330-375-2832 or rdowdell@akronohio.gov.

The meal program is available at the locations below at the listed times, with any variables noted in bold type:

(No food service on June 19 and July 4 due to the holidays.)

Site nameAddressBreakfast timeLunch time
Akron Inner City Soccer
(July 7 to 25)		915 N. Main St.9 a.m.noon
Ed Davis Community Center730 Perkins Park Dr.
9 a.m.noon
Ellet Community Center (Monday to Thursday)2449 Wedgewood Dr.9 a.m.11 a.m.
Ericsson Homes1380 Dahlgren Dr.9 a.m.11:30 a.m.
Fallen Fathers Foundation1650 Diagonal Road9 a.m.11:30 a.m.
Firestone Park
Community Center		1480 Girard St.9:30 a.m.11:30 a.m.
Joy Park
Community Center		825 Fuller St.8:45 a.m.noon
Kenmore Community Center (Monday to Thursday)880 Kenmore Blvd.10 a.m.noon
Lane Field (outside)630 Vernon Odom Blvd.NA11:30 a.m.
Lawton Street
Community Center		1225 Lawton St.9 a.m.noon
Mason Park
Community Center		700 E. Exchange St.9 a.m.noon
Northwest Community Center (Monday to Thursday)1730 Shatto Ave.9 a.m.11:30 a.m.
Patterson Park800 Patterson Ave.9 a.m.noon
Summit Lake
Community Center		380 W. Crosier St.9 a.m.11:30 a.m.
Vincent House
(Monday to Thursday)		838 E. Exchange St.9 a.m.11:30 a.m.
Wilbeth Homes888 Eller Ave.9 a.m.11:30 a.m.
Wingfoot Church
Breakfast (July 14 – Aug. 1)		1690 Hillside Terrace9 a.m.noon

Editor-in-Chief (she/her)
Zake has deep roots in Northeast Ohio journalism. She was the managing editor for multimedia and special projects at the Akron Beacon Journal, where she began work as a staff photographer in 1986. Over a 20-year career, Zake worked in a variety of roles across departments that all help inform her current role as Signal Akron's editor in chief. Most recently, she was a journalism professor and student media adviser at Kent State University, where she worked with the next generation of journalists to understand public policy, environmental reporting, data and solutions reporting. Among her accomplishments was the launch of the Kent State NewsLab, an experiential and collaborative news commons that connects student reporters with outside professional partners.