State leaders say the need for free summer meals for kids has almost tripled in Massachusetts since the pandemic.

Trucks are pulling up at locations across Massachusetts and serving kids free meals.

“During the school year, school meals can account for over half of the child's daily calories and so when school is out, it's really concerning how they're going to access that food," Erin McAleer, Project Bread president and CEO. 

Summer Eats is a federally-funded program. Last year, it served 8 million meals at more than 1,000 sites across Massachusetts. 

State and local leaders took part in a kick-off event on Wednesday in Worcester to help spread awareness. Marvin Garcia is a parent and says it’s the first time he’s heard of it.

"It's an excellent program,” Garcia said. “I came many times to this park and this is the first time I saw something happen like that. I am impressed.”

In Worcester, the program served close to 240,000 meals last summer — up from about 117,000 in 2019. McAleer says the increase is fueled by the economic impact of COVID-19.

"They're always critical during the summer, but these sites were even more critical — they were a primary source of feeding families and Massachusetts during this crisis," McAleer said. 

This year, special waivers allow caregivers to pick up meals for kids. Kids can also take meals back to their homes. Congressman Jim McGovern says Washington, D.C. needs to address the hunger problem.

“Hopefully next year we will do White House conference on food, nutrition, health and hunger,” Rep. Jim McGovern, 2nd Worcester Congressional District, said. “We need to end this hunger problem in this country, and we need to understand that to do so we need a holistic plan, and we need all hands on deck.”

To find a Summer Eats location near you, you can visit meals4kids.org.