For the 1 in 5 Tennessee children facing hunger, summer is more of a struggle than a vacation because they do not receive a free or reduced-rate school breakfast and lunch during the break. Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee has set a goal for its Hunger Free Summer campaign to provide 4 million meals to bridge the gap during the summer vacation.

The Hunger Free Summer campaign kicked off with an event in partnership with Nashville Public Library’s Madison Branch, one of Second Harvest’s Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) sites. The event featured a warm, nutritious lunch of taco boats and burritos, followed by the puppet show The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County by Wishing Chair Productions, the library’s resident puppet troupe, and a book reading on nutrition from Second Harvest’s Registered Dietician and Nutrition Manager. The kids also took home a goody bag filled with fun items and nutritious snacks.

News Channel 5 was there to film the event.

Click here for more information about our Summer Food Service Program and where to find free meals throughout the summer. See below for more photos from the day.

And consider donating now to help make this a hunger free summer!