City Parks and Pittsburgh Public Schools kick off 2026 Summer Meals program at Highland Park Super Playground

City Parks Director Eric Sloan announced the start of the 2026 City Parks Summer Food Service Program at a kickoff event at Highland Park Super Playground, saying the initiative will provide meals and enrichment to children across the city through mid‑August. "Making sure every child has the resources they need to thrive all summer long," Sloan said.

The program will offer free breakfast, lunch and snacks at eight recreation centers and more than 40 partner locations across Pittsburgh, Sloan said. City Parks will operate a mobile food truck alongside a roving art cart to deliver meals, arts and recreational engagement directly into neighborhoods.

Dr. Wayne Walters, superintendent of Pittsburgh Public Schools, said the district views summer meals as an extension of its school‑year nutrition work and urged families to use the service. "These meals are available throughout the summer, and we want every child who needs them to benefit from them," Walters said, emphasizing the district's partnership with the city and community organizations.

Dina Peach, who coordinates PPS's out‑of‑school food programs, described the district role in sourcing and coordinating meals and thanked food service staff and volunteers. Peach said PPS "alone last summer provided over 70,000 breakfast meals, about maybe over 100,000 lunch meals, and over 20,000 snacks," noting those figures exclude regular school‑year and after‑school programs.

Kelsey Gross, director of child nutrition programs at the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, placed the local effort in regional context, saying "Almost 54,000 kids in Allegheny County eat school meals on an average day during the school year." Gross noted that sites are open to any child 18 and under with no registration required and directed families to pittsburghfoodbank.org/summer to find nearby sites.

Organizers credited partnerships with PPS Food Services, the American Dairy Association, the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank and a range of community hosts and vendors for making the program possible. The kickoff concluded with closing remarks from Sloan, who thanked partners, staff and volunteers for their work on the summer program.

The program runs from the kickoff date through mid‑August; families should consult the food bank site for specific site hours and locations.