Arby's "School's Out, Food's In" helps kids

Beginning in May over 10,000 Tulsa Public School elementary students  who rely on school meals during the school year will receive meal cards to redeem 10 free, wholesome Arby’s® Kid’s Meals throughout the summer.

The Arby’s Foundation program “School’s Out, Food’s In” helps kids and informs us all that hunger can happen in our own backyard. Tulsa has a food insecurity rate at 29 percent, meaning one in three children have limited access to adequate food.

Tulsa Public Schools Elementary sites offer breakfast and lunch at no cost through the Community Eligibility Provision Program while school is in session, children often struggle with hunger during the summer months. To help combat childhood hunger in Tulsa, the Arby’s Foundation launched the “School’s Out, Food’s In” program to ensure at-risk children receive proper nourishment while school is out.

“For the first time in history, more than half of public school students are from low-income families,” said Chris Fuller, Executive Director, Arby’s Foundation. “Through our annual ‘School’s Out, Food’s In’ program, the Arby’s Foundation is committed to providing wholesome food options, so that three million children don’t lose access to nutritious meals.”

As part of last year’s “School’s Out, Food’s In” program, the Arby’s Foundation provided access to more than 1.6 million meals to children in need across the country. This year, the Arby’s Foundation will work with Tulsa Public Schools to distribute 10,000 meal cards, each redeemable for 10 free meals, to Tulsa children in need.

“It is an unfortunate reality that some children in the Tulsa community will have limited access to food while school is closed during the summer,” said Kit Hines, Child Nutrition Director, Tulsa Schools. “Thanks to the Arby’s Foundation, these children and their families do not have to worry about where their next meal will come from. We are thrilled to be participating in the ‘School’s Out, Food’s In’ program for the first time in order to end childhood hunger in Tulsa.”

While school is in session, more than 21 million school children nationwide receive free or reduced price lunch; however, only roughly 14 percent of those kids receive a free summer meal when school is out, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The Arby’s Foundation has provided access to more than seven million wholesome meals in local markets through its “School’s Out, Food’s In” initiative since its inception in 2014. This year, nearly 400,000 meal cards will be distributed in participating cities across the country, giving local communities access to nearly four million meals for those in need.

The Arby’s Foundation was founded as a way for Arby’s to give back to the communities it serves. For more than 30 years, the Arby’s Foundation has donated more than $80 million to various youth-related causes across America and has had a specific focus on childhood hunger since 2011. As part of the brand’s year-round commitment to ending childhood hunger, every purchase of an Arby's Kids Meal helps fund the work of the Arby's Foundation.

For more information on the Arby’s Foundation and ways to get involved, click here.

The Arby’s Foundation, whose mission is to end childhood hunger in America, is the independent charitable arm of Arby’s Restaurant Group, Inc. Building on a philanthropic heritage that has contributed more than $80 million to child-related causes since its inception in 1986, the Arby’s Foundation has launched a bold new movement to educate, mobilize and empower Americans with the knowledge and resources needed to ensure food security for every single child.

Today, 16.7 million U.S. children—more than 1 in 6—face hunger daily; the Arby’s Foundation has devoted its resources to providing access to wholesome food choices for children across the country. The Arby’s Foundation is a registered 501 (c) (3) organization headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.