CHENANGO COUNTY – Two local school districts will do their part to help keep kids from going hungry this summer by offering free, nutritious meals to any child under the age of 18.

Both the Oxford Academy and Norwich City School Districts will provide the free meals, which are made possible with federal funding through the United States Department of Agriculture’s Summer Food Service Program.

According to the USDA website, the program is designed to pick up where the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs leave off in order to ensure that children in the local community don’t go hungry during the summer months.

All children up to the age of 18 are eligible for the free meals, regardless of whether they are currently enrolled in the district, explained Norwich School Lunch Director Jackie Jenks. The district doesn’t receive any funding for adult meals, she said, but parents who wish to eat with their child may purchase a meal.