Kids Eat Free at MUSC

The mission of Kids Eat Free at MUSC is to optimize health by providing adequate nutrition to children when school is out for summer break.

This USDA-sponsored program ensures children have access to nutritious meals when school is not in session by providing breakfast and lunch to children in our cafeterias at no cost to the families or the enterprise.

We are proud to be the first hospital in South Carolina to ever participate in a summer feeding program, serving over 30,000 meals since 2015.

The Kids Eat Free at MUSC Program is operated in partnership with the Lowcountry Food Bank.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who Can Participate?

All children ages 18 and younger have access to the program, no matter where they live nor what brings them to MUSC.

How Does it Work?

The Kids Eat Free at MUSC program offers bagged cold lunches to those 18 and younger. Families are welcome to eat in the café or take the meal to go. Kids Eat Free at MUSC recipients are also invited to take a breakfast meal home for the next morning!

When and Where Does it Happen?

How Can I Learn More?

To learn more or request assistance, please contact Kaitlin DaPore at daporek@musc.edu.

Serving Summer Meals

Kids Eat Free at MUSC Guide Cover

A valuable resource for health care organization looking to engage in the fight against hunger.

Read the Guide (PDF)

Join the Fight Against Hunger

Food insecurity contributes to the rising cost of health care. Participation in hunger relief programs within health care’s existing infrastructure provides an opportunity to improve population health by increasing access to nutritious meals for those most in need. The purpose of this implementation guide is to provide:

  • Basic information on the impact of food insecurity on health and the cost of health care.
  • A brief explanation of the USDA's Summer Food Service Program (SFSP).
  • Examples of SFSP in a variety of hospitals and Health care settings.
  • Steps for exploring how SFSP can be implemented in new hospitals and Health care settings.

Additional Resources

In the News

Changing What's Possible & Leading the Way

A Case Study of SFSP in Health care: Kids Eat Free at MUSC (PDF)

In 2015, Sodexo and MUSC became the first hospital in the Southeast to participate in the USDA’s summer feeding program, serving 2,385 meals during the first summer operating the program on the MUSC campus. In 2016, the program expanded beyond the MUSC cafeterias to include cafe areas in outpatient facilities, further expanding the program's reach and impact, resulting in over 20,000 meals served since the program's inception in 2015.

Children Food Smiles

Growing Communities to Stop Hunger

Over the past 20 years, the Sodexo Stop Hunger Movement has been a leading force in the fight against hunger. Watch how this program has empowered leaders to grow communities across America.

Additional Resources

The Hunger Vital Sign™: A New Standard Of Care For Preventive Health (PDF)

To identify young children living in households at risk for food insecurity, Children’s HealthWatch validated the Hunger Vital Sign™, a 2-question food insecurity screening tool based on the US Household Food Security Scale. The Hunger Vital Sign™ measures families’ concerns about and access to food, much the way health care providers check other key vital signs, such as pulse and blood pressure. Health care providers, social service providers, community-based outreach workers, teachers, and anyone who works with young children can use the Hunger Vital Sign™ to identify young children and families who may need assistance.

No Kid Hungry’s documentation “Food is Medicine: A hospital’s story of ending summer hunger in South Carolina”

MUSC News Center article “Kids Eat Free at MUSC offers summer meals to children”

Sodexo Foundation works to ensure that every child in the United States, especially those most at risk, grows up with dependable access to enough nutritious food to enable them to lead a healthy, productive life.

Visit No Kid Hungry to learn more about people working to end hunger for children across the United States and how you can join them.

Public Notice:

Waiver Request for Offer versus Serve 7 CFR225.16(f)(1)(ii) (PDF)