The group expects to serve around 12,000 daily meals to underserved children, in July.

The summer months bring more than just heat.

Food insecurity can become even more prevalent for school children who depend on free (or low-cost) food programs that are not available during the summer. And now, the Houston Food Bank said it has reached a new peak for serving daily meals to underserved children in Greater Houston: more than 10,000 per day.

Last summer, the daily meals peaked at 9,000.

"This summer, we should be serving more than 12,000 meals, at our peak, sometime in July,” said Stephanie Berno, Director of Outreach Services for the Houston Food Bank.

She said it's hard to determine exactly why there are more meals.

"So, it's not about more funding or more need, specifically. We don't exactly know,” Berno said. “But, we do have more sites that are wanting to work with us. So, that could be an indication there's more need in the community."

The Houston Food Bank will nearly double its usual number of feeding sites during the summer months, and the organization anticipates reaching nearly 300 feeding sites for children by the end of the summer.

Berno also said it’s possible Hurricane Harvey has also added an additional, continuing burden on low-income families.

“We don’t know how many of the kids receiving meals’ families are struggling because of Harvey; or from being out of their home, or their job being interrupted,” said Berno.

She said even though the free meals stop during the summer months, child hunger does not.

Click here to locate the closest site near you.

To learn how to help, click here.

Subscribe to Today in Houston Fill out the form below to subscribe our new daily editorial newsletter from the HPM Newsroom. Email* First Name Last Name * required