Rochester families can access free Summer Meals at dozens of locations all summer long – and on Friday, some got an additional treat to end their week.
For the third consecutive year, Adirondack Creamery launched “Ice Cream Fridays” in collaboration with Foodlink’s mobile meals initiative. Along with a healthy, scratch-made meal from the Foodlink Community Kitchen, hundreds of kids will get a free, single-serving cup of ice cream each Friday.
Foodlink delivers free, healthy meals to Summer Meals sites all across Rochester to ensure kids are getting the nutrition they need after losing access to school meals in July and August. In an effort to reach more children, Foodlink’s mobile meals vehicles head to select neighborhoods that lack access to traditional summer meals programming and provide “grab-and go” meals, thanks to American Rescue Plan Act funding from Monroe County.
Paul Nasrani, owner and founder of Adirondack Creamery, approached Foodlink three years ago in an effort to get involved and help alleviate food insecurity in the Rochester area. A collaboration between his ice cream company and Foodlink’s “ice cream truck” model of meal delivery made perfect sense.
“We are impressed and inspired by the efforts all year long by Foodlink to provide healthy meals through a variety of channels to the Rochester community,” Nasrani said. “We are grateful to be able to bring attention to Rochester’s Summer Meals program for a third consecutive year. Children enjoy farm-fresh ice cream made with simple ingredients, and we hope to make more families aware of this critical resource available to children all summer long.”
Foodlink offers mobile meals in neighborhoods such as the 19th Ward, Maplewood, Charlotte and Lyell-Otis on Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. until the meals run out. More information about the city’s Summer Meals program and dozens of other “brick-and-mortar” sites can be found at www.SummerMealsROC.org.
Foodlink is also educating the community about a new “Summer EBT” program that provides eligible families with $120 in benefits to spend on groceries. This new program launched July 1 after lessons learned from the “Pandemic-EBT” program that began during the onset of the COVID pandemic. Families can visit the state’s website to learn more about details and eligibility.
On Friday, Foodlink handed out more than 300 meals in the 19th Ward, and many families expressed gratitude for both the meals and the ice-cold treat that came with it.
“It’s always an exciting time of year when Adirondack Creamery comes to town to launch ‘Ice Cream Fridays’ with our staff,” said Macie McGowan, Director of Kitchen Programs at Foodlink. “We take great pride in the quality of our meals, and it’s a top priority for us to highlight the importance of summer nutrition programs this time of year.”
