We have served over 4,000,000 meals!

About the Nutrition Program

Beginning in 2014, Youthprise took on an essential role as a hub — coordinating, recruiting, training, and supporting programs in serving snacks and meals year-round. In 2019, we supported 61 Nutrition sites across the Twin Cities and served over 284,000 meals to over 6,000 young people ages 6 – 18. The Youthprise model is specifically designed to eliminate barriers to participation where there is a great need for assistance in providing meals. Youthprise was sought out to initiate a sponsorship role in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) and the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) that would allow small to medium-sized youth-serving organizations to serve free meals through federal nutrition programs, thus allowing their money to be put back into program and staffing instead of food for their youth.

Our Nutrition Program is a part of our Health and Safety focus area. Our goal is to promote the health and safety of young people by meeting basic needs and holistically addressing health concerns that impact youth in our communities. When young people are out of school, they shouldn’t have to worry about where meals are coming from. Year-round meals are provided to youth at trusted locations in the community, where youth are not only encouraged to participate in programming but also have the space to provide input into their menus. The Youthprise Nutrition Program provides meals at public libraries, recreation centers, faith communities, schools, and local youth-serving nonprofits.

Open Meal Enrollments

APPLICATION STATUS: OPEN – TILL 06/05/2026

The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) provides up to two free, nutritious meals to help youth, 18 years or younger, in low-income areas get the nutrition they need to learn, play and grow throughout the summer.  As a program sponsor, Youthprise provides the food and handles all the administrative responsibilities so your youth can have healthy meals.  Our model targets youth programs with small budgets that lack administrative capacity and/or cash flow to participate in the program directly.  We principally target programs that serve communities of color and children not receiving SFSP.

Click here to Apply - "2026 Summer Meals"

Find Meals for Kids Using the “Free Meals for Kids” Application

To find open locations, download the Free Meals for Kids by Hunger Impact Partners. The app is free for Android and iPhone.

  • Download the Free Meals for Kids app to your cell phone.
  • Use the app to find the nearest site providing meals and meal packs by GPS.
  • Click on the nearby site and use the Meals Updates tab for more details.

It is updated regularly.

Learn More

For Youth Organizations Interested in partnering with

Youthprise to apply for federal meal support? Find out if you qualify!

Join other sites across state of Minnesota in serving well-balanced and nutritious meals to the youth of Minnesota. Eligible organizations include libraries, recreation centers, schools, churches, community centers, and more! Sites must be in a school data area or census area where 50% or more of the youth served that fall within poverty levels.

Easy Electronic Reporting

Access to training and technical support

Hot and cold meal options

Directly-delivered meals

Culturally-specific menus

Regularly-adjustable meal quantities

A 21-day menu cycle

Flexible scheduling

Bagged meal options for field trips

Prepackaged meal options for libraries

Organizations Spends On:

  • Healthy & Safe Food
  • Staff time to shop & pick-up food
  • Cost of food purchases
  • Limited Resource for training & reporting

Youthprise Nutrition Hub:

  • Electronic Tracking System
  • Equipment & Storage
  • Background Support, Administration, & Ensured Compliance
  • Multiple Menu Options & Covered Food Cost

Organizations Have:

  • Healthy & safe food
  • More Money for Program, Staff, & Mission
  • Deeper Connections to Community

For Donors and Funders What Makes Youthprise Different?

Young People

Young people are involved in all aspects of our work. Youthprise employs summer youth Nutrition Interns to support sites and coordinate the program. Additionally, Youthprise equips sites with the tools to ensure that young people have opportunities not only to be served, but to be a part of leading the program.

Local Communities

Youthprise works with local community partners who already have relationships with young people. Through these partnerships, Youthprise provides meals to youth in over 5 counties and is looking to serve state-wide in the future.

Youth & Local Vendors

Youthprise works with youth and local vendors to develop culturally-relevant menus that youth enjoy while still meeting the program requirements.

Holistic Approach

Youthprise takes a holistic approach to nutrition. Through collaborative efforts with our partners; we provide additional research, nutrition education, physical activity programming, and agricultural education to more holistically address food insecurity for Minnesota youth.

To join this success story

  • Donate to Youthprise and select “Nutrition Program” from the list of options. Did you know $5 will feed one kid a snack and a meal?
  • Download the Summer Eats app to find a summer meal serving program near you
  • Participate in the local census to ensure your community qualifies for federal meals;
  • Reach out to a local community center to see if they qualify to serve meals;
  • Ask your local policymakers to increase their support for the program; or
  • Contact the Nutrition Team at nutrition@youthprise.org to learn more!

Youthprise is proud to be an equal opportunity provider. This program is supported by the Minnesota Department of Education, the United States Department of Agriculture, and other funders and partners.

Non-Discrimination Statement