Marcell McNeil wants to get the word out: Anyone 18 and under in South Orange and Maplewood can enjoy a free breakfast and/or lunch through the Summer Meals program, now located at 129 Boyden Avenue in Maplewood.
McNeil, who works as a substitute teacher at South Mountain Elementary during the school year, has been running the Summer Meals program for a couple of years, but this is the first year that the program has been operating out of the new Maplewood Health Department and Community Support Center on Boyden Avenue — just across the parking lot from the Maplewood Pool.
“It switches every day,” said McNeil as he laid out meals on the table in the center’s kitchen. “Yesterday they had a croissant and bananas” for breakfast, while “Today is cereal, milk, apple juice.” The lunch for the day included a chicken wrap, salad, pretzels, juice and chocolate milk.
Marcell McNeil with sample breakfast and lunch summer meals. July 23, 2026.
“Quite a few of the kids love the chocolate milk,” said McNeil.
Until this year, the Summer Meals program was delivered outdoors in Maplecrest Park.
“There was a lot more exposure,” said McNeil. “Every day we put up a tent. We had our signs that said ‘Free food for kids under 18.’ So if people were coming to the park just to be in the park and they saw the signs, they would come over and say, ‘Hey, is this for me too?’ And they could sit and eat.”
“There were times where by the end of the summer we were doing a hundred breakfasts and a hundred lunches a day. Because people come through the park,” said McNeil.
But that location created added logistical concerns around keeping the food cool and protecting the kids from the weather.
“It’s 105 degrees and you’re under a tent. If it’s torrential rains, you’re in that tent. McNeil said that the new location on Boyden Avenue was “so much better for the kids. If it’s 105 degrees outside, the kids are sitting down here. They’re eating here.” McNeil also mentioned recent issues around air quality and smoke from wildfires.
The Health Department is working to get the word out about the new location through signs in Maplecrest Park, through social media, and more. McNeil wants families visiting the Maplewood Pool to know that, should the concession stand be out of reach price-wise, meals are available for kids free of charge at the center.
He noted that one working mom of four kids has made use of the meals when the family visits the pool.
“Even if they weren’t registered,” said McNeil, walk-ins need only “sign the sheet.”
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The center includes a book nook where kids of all ages can read and bring home donated books. The towns also offer additional services at the center, connecting families with resources from health care, to groceries, to housing information, and other social services. Read more about the services here.
The Summer Meals program runs through August 14, Monday – Friday: 9:00am-1:30pm, with breakfast served from 9-10 a.m. and lunch served from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Use the QR code below to sign up. Email [email protected] with any questions, or call (973) 762-8120 ext. 2007.
