{"id":39370,"date":"2025-12-12T08:00:45","date_gmt":"2025-12-12T08:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/?p=39370"},"modified":"2026-05-12T23:44:51","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T23:44:51","slug":"mary-bridge-childrens-summer-meals-programs-supports-kids-builds-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/mary-bridge-childrens-summer-meals-programs-supports-kids-builds-community\/","title":{"rendered":"Mary Bridge Children\u2019s summer meals program brings free lunches to kids","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"

By Lance Maligaya <\/strong><\/p>\n

The Mary Bridge Children\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Over the course of 10 weeks, the program delivered\u00a02,412 meals\u00a0<\/strong>\u2014 a dramatic increase from 1,458 meals in 2024 \u2014 reflecting the dedication of a diverse team and the growing need for accessible nutrition for our communities.<\/p>\n

MultiCare Mary Bridge Children\u2019s<\/a> has served more than 60,000 free meals to kids during the summer since 2019, in partnership with the USDA summer food service program<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Proceeds from\u00a0Sound to Narrows<\/a>, MultiCare\u2019s annual 12K and 5K run\/walk in Tacoma, provided new financial support this year.<\/p>\n

Summer meals behind the scenes<\/h2>\n

The success of the Mary Bridge Children\u2019s summer meals program was powered by:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • MultiCare staff, who contributed over\u00a0190 hours<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • MultiCare Volunteer Services volunteers, who logged\u00a0100-plus hours<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • 13 staff members,\u00a0four additional volunteers and\u00a0one full-time\u00a0intern<\/li>\n
  • The Parkland librarian\u00a0and\u00a0other community partners<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    In total,\u00a0420 hours<\/strong>\u00a0were dedicated solely to meal prep and service \u2014 excluding the countless hours spent by staff behind the scenes to ensure program success.<\/p>\n

    Site growth and expansion<\/h2>\n

    Two meal distribution sites saw significant increases:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • The Parkland\/Spanaway Library site<\/strong>\u00a0more than doubled its meal distribution, with 229 meals served this year, compared to 112 in 2024.<\/li>\n
    • Mary Bridge Children\u2019s Outpatient Center served 837 more meals<\/strong>\u00a0than last year \u2014 2,183 in 2025 vs. 1,346 in 2024.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Beyond meals: Building community connections<\/h2>\n

      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.<\/p>\n

      Every week, children visiting the library received free books, reinforcing the program\u2019s approach to child development. The initiative isn\u2019t just about food \u2014 it\u2019s about building joy, learning and community.<\/p>\n

      Watch the video to hear more about how the Mary Bridge Children\u2019s summer meals program is making a difference for children and families.<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      By Lance Maligaya The Mary Bridge Children\u2019s 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\u00a02,412 meals\u00a0\u2014 a dramatic increase from 1,458 meals in 2024 \u2014 reflecting the dedication […]<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"author":123,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,155,67,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39370","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-community","category-health-equity","category-kids-health","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSummer meals program supports kids, builds community - MultiCare Vitals<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Mary Bridge Children\u2019s provided thousands of free meals for kids in 2025, expanding access to nutrition through community partnerships.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/mary-bridge-childrens-summer-meals-programs-supports-kids-builds-community\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Summer meals program supports kids, builds community - 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