The city cut about 100 unrestricted locations from its annual summer meals program across the five boroughs from last year, but the city Department of Education said it is serving more Queens students than ever.
Nearly 7 million meals are given out each year through the program, according to Marge Feinberg, a spokeswoman for the DOE.
“Every year, the federal government provides us with a summer meals program,” she said. “In order for us to meet the requirements for total reimbursement, we have to make sure we feed enough kids at our sites.”
And that requires making adjustments each year about which locations should house a meals program, she said.
Across the city, there are roughly 1,000 such locations, although many serve students in restricted programs like summer camp. But there are 79 spots in Queens where anyone can grab a meal.
District 30 leads the pack with 18 locations, and District 26 has the least with six. Districts 24, 25 and 29 have 10 locations and District 28 has 11.
Queens will get an additional venue for the meals in the form of a refrigerated truck that will dole out grub at Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
The truck was funded by a $250,000 grant from Wal-Mart, which also gave $4 million to the city for a summer jobs program.
— Joe Anuta
