Free summer meals program launches in Baltimore County
Baltimore County plans to provide free meals to kids throughout the summer, available at local libraries.
On Wednesday, Baltimore County Public Library held a Summer Meals Celebration at the White Marsh Branch to kick off their anti-hunger initiative.
From June 24 through August 21 free summer meals will be available for residents aged 18 and younger. Children under 8 must be accompanied by an adult. Each meal will include milk, fruit, vegetables and more.
Which branches are participating?
Those interested in the program can receive meals at the following Baltimore County library branches each day:
Beginning at 12 p.m.
- Arbutus
- Cockeysville
- Landsowne
- Owings Mills
- Randallstown
- Reisterstown
- Rosedale
- Soller Point
Beginning at 12:30 p.m.
- Catonsville
- Essex
- Loch Raven
- Parkville-Carney
- Perry Hall
- White Marsh
- Woodlawn
1 in 6 children facing hunger
According to Feeding America, 1 in 6 children face hunger in Maryland. In total, more than 800,000 people face food insecurity; 200,000 of those are children.
In 2025, Johns Hopkins released a study which found that the number of food-insecure Baltimore-area residents declined by 7.5 percentage points between 2023 and 2024.
However, later that year a separate poll found that rising food costs were placing a strain on Marylanders' mental health as prices rose due to inflation. In the study, half of respondents said they would be worried about affording groceries if they were faced with unexpected $500 expense.
Baltimore County Public Schools are also running a free summer meals program, providing breakfast and lunch for children ages 2 to 18. Families can register for a weekly pickup of 7 breakfasts and 7 lunches at three different locations.