Where You Can Get Free Kids Meals in the NYC Area During Coronavirus
Many restaurants and organizations across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Westchester, and Long Island are stepping up to offer free meals to kids during the COVID-19 crisis.
Get kid-friendly activities sent to you!
Get the Best Kid-Friendly Activities
Sent to You Weekly!
Chicky's
Chicky's in Jamaica is offering free daily lunch to underprivileged children from 12-2pm daily.
Queens Comfort
This American comfort food spot in Astoria wants to offer help to Queens residents by opening up its supply lines and resources to the community. On its Instagram account, Queens Comfort encourages people that need help sourcing food and supplies to email Donnie at [email protected].
Avli The Little Greek Tavern and Kafe
The Bayside location of this Greek restaurant is offering free grab and go meals to the community for pickup from 10am-12pm, 3-5pm. Delivery arrangements can be made for elderly residents. Call 718-224-7575 or email [email protected] for more information.
LIC Relief and Several Long Island City Restaurants
Several Long Island City restaurants are partnering with LIC Relief to offer free nutritional meals on weekdays for students and families impacted by school closures and those who are unable to source a daily meal. LIC Relief sets up tables with meals in front of neighborhood restaurants from 12-2pm. Participating restaurants include Piatto, Vernon Grille, Centro Italian Kitchen, Little Chef, Little Cafe, Bella Via, and Manducatis Rustica.
Free Kids' Meals Throughout NYC
The New York City Department of Education has been offering three free meals for New Yorkers every weekday at more than 400 sites across the city since the start of the coronavirus and is now extending the program throughout the summer. All NYC children are eligible to pick up three free meals Monday through Friday, 7:30am-11:30am and adults from 11:30am-1:30pm at locations throughout the city. You can use the site lookup tool to find the free meal location site nearest you. And, families of children in public school in NYC will receive $420 per child that can go toward groceries and provide coronavirus relief.
Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer Food Benefits
Families of children in public school in NYC who would have received free or reduced-price school meals under the National School Lunch Act can receive up to $420 for each eligible child that can go toward groceries and provide coronavirus relief. If your family receives Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and/or Temporary Assistance benefits and you have school-age children, you will automatically receive P-EBT food benefits for each eligible school-age child in your household, which will automatically be issued to your family’s current EBT card.
Beginning Saturday, June 27, all New Yorkers ages 18 and under will be eigible for free breakfast and lunch seven days a week.
The follow restaurants are also offering free food in some capacity:
Use the code FREEKIDS on online orders of $20 or more for a free kids entree.
Free kids' meals are available with any purchase for take-out or drive-thru made on the Burger King app.
McDonald's
Select McDonalds locations are providing free meals to kids. Call your local restaurant for more information.
With every purchase of adult entree receive a free kid's entree.
Olive Garden's Buy One, Take One promotion is now available as a car side ToGo offer. Choose one hot entree (minimum $12.99) and get the option of a second free take-one meal (spaghetti and meat sauce, fettuccine alfredo, cheese ravioli, or 5 cheese ziti al forno).
Any kid younger than 12 will get a free 12 oz. kid's smoothie with the purchase of any 20 oz. smoothie on the Smoothie King Rewards app.
While school systems are on break, On the Border is offering 2 free kids meals with the purchase of one adult entree to-go.
Panera Bread
With every order from Panera on Long Island or in Queens, Panera is including a Baker's in Training Kit for kids to decorate a rainbow cookie. Each kit comes with one sugar cookie, two cups of icing, a plastic knife, and colored candy drops.