LEOMINSTER — Congressman Jim McGovern and Project Bread President & CEO Erin McAleer visited the Spanish American Center at St. Cecilia’s Church in Leominster on Monday, July 6, 2026, to kick off Summer Eats Awareness Week and the 12th annual Summer Food Rocks Tour.
According to Project Bread, the tour began with a breakfast stop at the Spanish American Center’s Summer Eats site in Leominster before continuing to Unity Park in Turners Falls for a lunch stop.
Summer Eats, the Massachusetts Summer Food Service Program, provides free meals to children and teens 18 and younger at sites across the state during the summer. In 2025, nearly 3 million meals were served at more than 1,500 sites statewide, with more than 73,000 children eating at least one Summer Eats meal on an average day in July, according to Project Bread.
This year, Project Bread awarded more than $250,000 to Summer Eats sponsors statewide, including the Spanish American Center in Leominster and the Gill-Montague Regional School District in Turners Falls.
“People across the country are struggling to feed their families because of the rising cost of food and because the ‘Big Ugly Bill’ made the largest cut to food assistance in history,” said Congressman Jim McGovern. “But programs like Summer Eats show us that a different future is possible—a future where every child has enough to eat and every family is supported, nourished, and empowered to make healthier decisions. I was so grateful to join Project Bread, the Spanish American Center, and the Gill-Montague School District to spread the word about Summer Eats and the incredible free meals for kids and teens offered at locations across Massachusetts. Summer Eats is an inspiring example of what we can achieve when we come together to make sure that nobody goes hungry in America.”
At St. Cecilia’s Church, McGovern visited the Spanish American Center’s Verano Alegre summer camp program, where children and teens ate a breakfast of scrambled eggs and French toast while he spoke with them about government and anti-hunger programs.
The Leominster program served nearly 26,000 meals last year, according to Project Bread.
The Spanish American Center is hosting additional meal sites open to the community throughout the summer, including breakfast and lunch at the Spanish American Center, lunch at Fournier Park, and breakfast and lunch at Riverside Village.
At Unity Park in Turners Falls, about 40 children attended the lunch stop, where the Gill-Montague Regional School District served turkey and cheese sandwiches on pretzel buns with fresh strawberries and broccoli, according to Project Bread.
Participation in the Gill-Montague program has increased, according to Project Bread. Last year, the district served between 50 and 75 children daily, while this year’s daily participation is closer to 80.
“Summer Eats provides an incredible opportunity to bring communities together and help take one thing off of families’ plates,” said Project Bread President & CEO Erin McAleer. “This is especially important right now, when 40 percent of Massachusetts’ households with children are facing food insecurity while navigating the rising costs of groceries, rent, and other necessities. When families–no matter their income level–can come to sites in their local park, library, or playground to enjoy a free, nutritious meal, it helps bridge that gap. What we saw this week in Leominster and Turners Falls happens all summer long in communities across the state. We are proud to lead on this work statewide and work with leaders like Congressman McGovern, and the state and community partners who make it possible.”
McGovern and McAleer were joined on the tour by Kristina Webber, Assistant Director of Food & Nutrition Programs at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education; Shannon Walsh, Community Nutrition Programs Coordinator at DESE; State Rep. Natalie Higgins; Neddy Latimer, Executive Director of the Spanish American Center; Donata Martin, St. Cecilia Church Site Supervisor at the Spanish American Center; Abigail Pease, School Nutrition Director for Gill-Montague Regional School District; and Tari Thomas, Interim Superintendent of Gill-Montague Regional School District.
For more than 20 years, DESE and Project Bread have partnered to support meal providers offering Summer Eats to children across Massachusetts.
All children and teens 18 and younger can eat at Summer Eats sites statewide for free, with no registration or identification required. Families can also access SUN Bucks, also known as Summer EBT, a federal benefit that provides additional grocery funding for low-income families with school-aged children.
More information about Summer Eats meal sites and SUN Bucks is available at www.projectbread.org/summer-eats. Families can also text FOOD or COMIDA to 304-304, or call Project Bread’s FoodSource Hotline at 1-800-645-8333 for help in any language.
