Federal officials say they’re providing free summer meals for school children at numerous sites across Illinois.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced this week that there’ll be a kickoff even for the program later this month in Chicago.

The state’s Board of Education runs the summer meals program with organizations including the Illinois Hunger Coalition.

The idea is to provide nutritious meals and snacks to children in the months between the school years. Officials say that for every 100 children who receive meals through the National School Lunch Programs, only 14 get them throughout the summer.