Summer is the hungriest season of the year for millions of kids

Most kids love summer vacation. But not all.

For the more than 22 million children who depend on school breakfast and lunch programs, summer vacation means worrying about when they’ll eat next.

Iker is one of those kids. When school’s out, he misses his classes, teachers, friends – and he especially misses school breakfasts and lunches

Iker and his family receive food from his local community center in Phoenix, Arizona, a partner of the Feeding America network of food banks, food pantries and meal programs. “If they didn’t give out food, we wouldn’t be eating what we normally eat,” he says. “Because what they give us is pretty much what we have.”

Hunger can have lifelong consequences for children, making it more difficult for them to learn, play and connect with kids their age. Latino families, like Iker’s, also experience hunger at a much higher rate year-round. And although children in every community in the country face hunger during the summer, rural communities are hit especially hard. That’s the case for Zoey’s family in West Monroe, Louisiana.

When there’s not enough food in the fridge to feed everyone, “my mom and dad have to go without because they want us kids to have food in our stomachs,” Zoey says. “The food bank is a place where my family gets help getting food. It helps my family because sometimes we don’t have as much.”

Food banks are doing everything they can to meet their communities' needs this summer, but they can’t do it alone.

As you read, many food pantries and community organizations face a funding shortfall that may force them to shut down summer and afterschool meal programs. And with rising food prices, millions of kids and families are vulnerable to hunger this summer.