Reading, PA – Today, Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) Deputy Secretary Marcus Delgado distributed summer meals to children at the GoggleWorks Center for the Arts as part of its Summer Meals Program partnership with Centro Hispano Hispanic Center. Pennsylvania’s Summer Meals Program provides free breakfast, lunch, and snacks to children 18 and under when school is out. Meals are served at parks, schools, libraries, and community centers across the Commonwealth in both congregate and rural non-congregate settings.
The Shapiro Administration has made it a top priority to ensure Pennsylvania students start the day with a full stomach, ready to learn — both over the summer and during the school year. Last summer, more than 5.6 million meals were served at 2,110 summer meal sites as part of the program.
"Pennsylvania families know their children have access to a nutritious breakfast and lunch every day during the school year, but the summertime disrupts that routine and can stretch the budget for many families. This program offers vital support for our children as they’re busy growing, learning, and playing during the summer,” said Deputy Secretary Delgado. “The Shapiro Administration will continue to invest in their future and ensure no Pennsylvania child goes hungry.”
The Governor’s signed 2026-27 budget includes funding for universal free school breakfast for a fourth consecutive year, helping to ensure Pennsylvania’s 1.7 million students continue to receive free breakfast at school, regardless of income. As a result of universal free breakfast, more students are able to start the day with a nutritious, filling breakfast in the morning to kickstart their day and get their minds ready to learn. During the 2024-25 school year, Pennsylvania schools served nearly 93 million breakfasts to students — a 13.8 percent increase over two years.
GoggleWorks operates a Summer Meals site as part of Centro Hispano's Summer Food Service Program. This is GoggleWorks' second year participating in the program, and Centro Hispano has been a Summer Meals sponsor for six years. Each year, Centro Hispano serves approximately 125,000 meals through its community programming, and the summer program plays a critical role in helping to close the nutrition gap for local youth.
“Food insecurity does not take a summer break, and for many children, the months when school is not in session can create an even greater hardship,” said Centro Hispano President & CEO Michael Toledo. “We believe every child deserves access to nutritious meals. We are grateful for partners like GoggleWorks, whose collaboration helps us reach more children while reinforcing the importance of community organizations working together to support our most vulnerable youth.”
The Shapiro Administration has made historic investments to give every Pennsylvania student the freedom to chart their own course and the opportunity to succeed.
Under Governor Shapiro’s leadership, Pennsylvania has increased funding for our schools by over $3 billion since the Governor took office, totaling $11.85 billion invested into Pennsylvania’s students this year. The investments in this year’s budget build on this foundation, including:
- $565 million increase through the bipartisan adequacy and tax equity formula for a total of $1.9 billion driven out to the schools that need them most.
- $58 million increase to Basic Education Funding, for a total of $8.32 billion.
- $55 million increase to Special Education Funding, for a total of $1.58 billion to support students with disabilities and special needs.
- Maintains $125 million for school infrastructure improvements to create safe, healthy learning environments — including $25 million for the Solar for Schools program to lower energy costs and promote sustainability.
- Continues $100 million in annual mental health and school safety funding for K–12 schools, ensuring every student has access to the resources and support they need to thrive, continuing the Shapiro Administration’s strong commitment to expanding access to mental health care and support across the Commonwealth.
- Continued Funding Universal Free Breakfast and Free Menstrual Hygiene Products for Students: This budget continues funding for a key priority of Governor Shapiro – universal free breakfast for all 1.7 million students. It also includes $3 million to ensure students have access to menstrual hygiene products at no cost.
- Supporting Student Well-Being Through Daily Recess: This budget establishes 30 minutes of daily recess for students in kindergarten through fifth grade and directs the State Board of Education to provide guidance on scheduled recess and breaks, ensuring students have dedicated time each school day for movement, social interaction, and stress management so they return to the classroom refreshed and ready to learn. Recess is not an extra — it is a fundamental part of children's growth, teaching skills like collaboration, conflict resolution, and self-regulation that are just as essential as math, science, and reading.
The Summer Meals Program is operated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and administered in Pennsylvania by the Department of Education. Non-profit organizations sponsor the program and receive reimbursement for meals served to eligible children at approved meal sites.
Visit the Summer Meals Site Finder for a list of summer meal locations across the Commonwealth.