The Community Assistance Center’s annual summer program “Meals for Kids” is now underway, distributing food weekly to families with school-age children who qualify for free or reduced-price meals in Sandy Springs and Dunwoody.
Last summer, CAC provided more than 15,435 meals to 1,097 children in the Central Perimeter community, including a part of the city of Doraville within Dunwoody’s school districts.
The “kid-friendly, easy-to-prepare” food items include a variety of fresh and prepared food that families can select from every week, now through July 31. The CAC’s two Sandy Springs Mini-Markets are open Monday through Friday, from 9:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m., at 8607 Roswell Road and 120 Northwood Drive, Suite 150.
Hunger lingers in summer
For many students, summer break means no homework, fewer school-related activities, swimming, camp, and more family time. But for thousands of children across Georgia, including those in Sandy Springs and Dunwoody, summer can also bring increased food insecurity when school meal programs pause for the season.
According to the Atlanta Community Food Bank, one in six children in its 29-county service area will go to bed hungry.
Now in its 11th year, the CAC Cares for Kids’ “Meals for Kids” program helps provide nutritious weekly meals to an estimated 660 families throughout the summer, ensuring local children continue to have access to nutritious food while school is out.
CAC CEO Francis K. Horton, III, said the need doesn’t stop when school ends.
“Many local families face difficult financial choices during the summer months, from additional childcare coverage to increased grocery needs, to purchasing school supplies for the new school year that begins in August,” Horton said. “We’re helping bridge some of those gaps so children can stay nourished this summer and return to the classroom confident, prepared, and ready to learn.”
How to sign up
Families interested in participating in the CAC Cares for Kids’ Meals for Kids program must first become CAC clients. To apply for food assistance, families can complete an online application. Current CAC clients may participate in the program without submitting additional documentation.
While summer break has just begun, the nonprofit is already preparing for the 2026-27 school year. Applications are open for the CAC Cares for Kids Tools for School program, which provides free backpacks and school supplies to eligible students.
Each year, CAC’s Tools for School program equips approximately 1,000 students with new backpacks filled with grade-appropriate school supplies tailored to local school requirements.
Leftover school supplies are redirected to support students and teachers throughout the school year via the Teacher’s Closet, in partnership with the Sandy Springs Education Force.
Families interested in participating can apply here. Applications are open through July 3.
Founded in 1987, the CAC is the largest nonprofit in Sandy Springs and Dunwoody dedicated to preventing hunger and homelessness and providing the tools to help individuals and families reach financial stability and thrive.
Read more about CAC Cares for Kids summer programs and donate here.
