Mary Bridge Children’s summer meals program brings free lunches to kids

By Lance Maligaya

The Mary Bridge Children’s summer meals program wrapped up its 2025 season with growth, heartfelt community engagement, and a clear commitment to providing free meals to children and their families.

Over the course of 10 weeks, the program delivered 2,412 meals — a dramatic increase from 1,458 meals in 2024 — reflecting the dedication of a diverse team and the growing need for accessible nutrition for our communities.

MultiCare Mary Bridge Children’s has served more than 60,000 free meals to kids during the summer since 2019, in partnership with the USDA summer food service program.

Proceeds from Sound to Narrows, MultiCare’s annual 12K and 5K run/walk in Tacoma, provided new financial support this year.

Summer meals behind the scenes

The success of the Mary Bridge Children’s summer meals program was powered by:

• MultiCare staff, who contributed over 190 hours
• MultiCare Volunteer Services volunteers, who logged 100-plus hours
• 13 staff members, four additional volunteers and one full-time intern
• The Parkland librarian and other community partners

In total, 420 hours were dedicated solely to meal prep and service — excluding the countless hours spent by staff behind the scenes to ensure program success.

Site growth and expansion

Two meal distribution sites saw significant increases:

• The Parkland/Spanaway Library site more than doubled its meal distribution, with 229 meals served this year, compared to 112 in 2024.
• Mary Bridge Children’s Outpatient Center served 837 more meals than last year — 2,183 in 2025 vs. 1,346 in 2024.

Beyond meals: Building community connections

Across both meal distribution sites, teams provided activity sheet bundles of coloring pages, food access resources, and nutrition education handouts about topics like dental health and movement. A member of the team also became the summer meals carrot mascot, bringing joy and smiles to kids as they walked in for appointments.

Every week, children visiting the library received free books, reinforcing the program’s approach to child development. The initiative isn’t just about food — it’s about building joy, learning and community.

Watch the video to hear more about how the Mary Bridge Children’s summer meals program is making a difference for children and families.