On a warm Tuesday afternoon, dozens of parents and children converged on North Park in Provo for a nutritious afternoon lunch.

It’s the first day of the summer meals program headed up by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Utah County.

The organization is offering free lunches for children 18 and under at different locations throughout Provo, Orem and Springville.

Mariah Critchfield, a Provo resident and mother of four, said the resource provides a sense of financial and stress relief during the summer months.

“It’s really nice to have a place to go, especially when it’s at a park,” she said. “You go to a park, they (kids) get to exercise and … you know, move around, and then they have something to eat that you don’t have to stress about preparing and bringing along with you trying to do other things to help your kids.”

Critchfield said she and her family have used the program in the past, but not on a consistent basis.

Sarah Campbell, another Provo parent who’s been using the program over the past three summers, said she and her family are appreciative of such meal programs to ensure children are fed with nutritious options.

“We try to kind of plan our summer around where they’re going to be. … Go to the library, or go to the park and take advantage of the great service that they offer for families of these snacks and lunches,” she told the Daily Herald.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Utah County’s summer meal service is funded in part by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as well as business and private donors.

Executive Director David Bayles said the service aims to fill the gap in nutrition for children during the summer months when other resources are not available.

“I think it’s no secret that inflation has been crazy lately, and the families who struggle the most due to that are the families with the fewest means,” he said. “And one of the big areas where we’ve seen inflation is in the cost of food.”

Roughly 15% of children in Utah County are considered food insecure, according to data from Feeding America.

And according to the U.S.D.A., more than 50 million lunches and more than 10 million breakfasts were served to students during the 2023-24 school year.

Bayles said the Boys & Girls Clubs of Utah County is targeting its summer meals program to areas in Utah County where family incomes may be lower and the need is greater.

The program kicked off at various locations in Provo and Springville on Tuesday and runs weekdays through Aug. 8, with the exception of Juneteenth, the Fourth of July, Pioneer Day and July 25.

A weekly rotation of sites at Provo Parks will begin Monday.

The service will also provide meals at Orem’s All-Together Playground starting June 9. Times for each location vary.

Monday through Friday from June 30 to Aug. 8, meals will be available at the following schools:

• Parkside Elementary: 11 a.m. to noon
• Windsor Elementary: 11 a.m. to noon
• Westmore Elementary: 12:30-1:30 p.m.
• Orem Junior High: 12:30-1:30 p.m.

A full list or locations and serving times can be found at bgcutah.org/nutrition.

School districts throughout the county will also provide meals throughout the summer.

The Alpine School District will roll out its free lunch and breakfast for children at different schools over the summer starting Monday.

Adult meals will also be available for $3 or lunch for $5.

A full list of locations and menu options are available on the school district’s Facebook page.

The Provo City School District will too begin its summer meals program Monday.

Free breakfast will be served from 8-9 a.m. and lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for all children 18 and younger on weekdays.

Sites include: Franklin, Provo Peaks, Spring Creek, Sunset View, Timpanogos and Westridge elementary schools as well as Independence High School (through June 26) and Provo High School.

A list of menu items can be found at provo.edu/news.