Free Lunches for Kids and Senior Citizens in Wichita (Plus Where & How to Donate Food for Those in Need)

This list of places offering free lunches for kids in Wichita & surrounding areas, as well as free meals for seniors and families in need will be updated regularly during COVID-19 social distancing.

Meals for Kids in Wichita

Wichita Public Schools

From 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday, March 23, and Tuesday, March 24, USD 259 and Meddy’s will be serving free meals to students at four locations:

• Marshall Middle School – 1510 N. Payne, 67203
• Mueller Aerospace and Engineering Discover Magnet – 2500 E 18th N, 67214
• Jardine STEM & Career Explorations Academy – 3550 Ross Parkway, 67210
• Truesdell Middle School – 2464 S Glenn, 67217

Beginning March 25, the following Wichita Public Schools locations will serve grab & go lunches for kids 18 and under:

Andover Public Schools

Andover Public Schools will begin curbside distribution of meals on Tuesday, March 24. Distribution will be from 8-9:30 a.m. Monday through Friday at these locations:

  • Prairie Creek Elementary School, 654 YMCA Drive, Andover, KS 67002
  • Cottonwood Elementary School, 1747 N. Andover Rd, Andover, KS 67002
  • Andover Central High School, 603 E. Central, Andover, KS 67002

They will provide one breakfast and one lunch for any child ages 1 through 18. There is no need to be an Andover Public Schools student, nor is there a requirement for free or reduced lunch.

Children may walk up or drive up with an adult to the curb directly in front of the school’s main entrance and be served sack meals. They will be served that morning’s breakfast and that afternoon’s lunch. At this time, the child must be present to receive meals, unless special arrangements have been made in advance. For the safety of all students, adults and staff we ask that all individuals remain in your vehicles. Our staff will process the distribution as quickly as possible.

Circle Public Schools

Any student ages 1-18 qualifies for the daily lunch and breakfast program.  These meals are free and will be available for pick-up each day from 11:00 am – 1:00 pm at the following locations:

  • Circle Oil Hill Elementary
  • Circle Towanda Primary
  • Circle Middle School
  • Circle Greenwich Elementary. 

Derby Public Schools

Goddard Public Schools

Beginning Tuesday, March 24th, USD 265 Nutrition Services staff will begin providing packaged lunch and breakfast to all children between the ages of 1 and 18. Meals will be served Monday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at three locations:

  • the North side of Eisenhower High School
  • the North side of Oak Street Elementary School
  • on the street in front of Brentwood Apartments (600 S. Main St., Goddard, KS).

There are no eligibility requirements to qualify for this service, however, children must be present to receive their meals. Children can walk up, or families can drive through and pick up a package meal containing lunch and breakfast for the next day. Federal guidelines require your child(ren) must be physically present at the distribution site to pick-up their meals.

Maize Public Schools

Beginning Wednesday, March 25, Maize USD 266 will offer free grab-and-go breakfasts and lunches on Mondays and Wednesdays at two locations in the district.

Food Service staff members will distribute meals from their station at the complex front office entrance and deliver straight to your car. No need to get out!

Please RSVP here or visit the district website for more information. 

Meals are free to all students regardless of income. No income-related questions will be asked. Special arrangements can be made for quarantined families or for children with dietary restrictions. Currently, we plan to provide meals in this way until the last day of school, scheduled for May 20, or until otherwise notified.

Valley Center Public Schools

Valley Center will begin this service Monday, March 23. At this time, the plan for meal delivery is as follows.

  • Meals will be able to be picked up at six locations: (See map page for pictures of exact locations)
    1. VCIS- 737 N. Meridian
    2. Community Building Parking Lot 314 E. Clay
    3. Brookfield Apartments 1240 E. Ford, Valley Center
    4. West Elementary 501 N. Sheridan
    5. Navajo Lake Estates- 501 E. 63rd St. North- Park City
    6. Corner of East Fairchild Street and North Grove Street (just north of Poston Park near new basketball courts) – Park City
  • Meals will be made available from 11:00-12:30 on the following days:
    Mondays: grab and go meal will include lunch for Monday and Tuesday; and breakfast for Tuesday and Wednesday
    Wednesdays: grab and go meal will include lunch for Wednesday and Thursday; and breakfast for Thursday and Friday
    Fridays: meal will include lunch for Friday and Saturday; and breakfast for Saturday and Sunday **No meal will be provided for Sunday lunch or Monday breakfast**

Meals will be delivered in a USD 262 mini-bus so everyone can recognize the location Due to current regulations, meals can only be given to 18 year olds and younger, and the children must be present to receive a meal. We cannot give multiple meals to one person. We also wish to follow safe practices, so please remind anyone picking up meals to maintain a 6 foot distance from others during the pick-up process.

Meals for Senior Citizens in Wichita

Meals on Wheels Wichita

Whether you know senior citizens who could use mean deliveries or want to volunteer as a driver, you can find out everything you need to know here.

Meals for Anyone in Need

Birney’s Snack Shop

156 N. Cleveland
March 16-20
11:00am-1:00pm

If you have a friend or neighbor who might not have access to a meal, a kid affected by the school closures or someone who can’t get out for provisions due to a heightened risk of illness, pop in & grab a sack lunch, no charge and no questions asked.

To support Birney’s by helping to pack lunches, meet at the shop at 2pm on Sundays. To support hem financially, you can donate here.

Our Daily Bread Food Pantry

Currently operating drive-thru only, Tuesday-Thursday from 8:30am to noon and the 4th Saturday of the month 9am to noon.

2825 S. Hillside
Wichita KS 67216

Places to Donate Food in Wichita

Paxton’s Blessings Box Locations

Grab a few extra non-perishable items or hygiene products the next time you’re at the store and drop them off at one of their 30+ Wichita locations! Financial donations can be made here.

Kansas Food Bank

The Kansas Food Bank is open Monday-Friday from 8am to 4:30 pm. Call 265-3663 to arrange delivery of your food to the food bank at 1919 E Douglas or click here to make financial donations online. They cannot accept the following types of donations:

  • 50 pound bags of sugar, rice or flour
  • Bottled water
  • Items in glass containers
  • Perishable items that require refrigeration

Our Daily Bread Food Pantry

Donations of non-perishable food items will be accepted by appointment only; please call the number above to schedule. No used plastic bags accepted at this time.

Most-needed items at this time:

  • Quality meats
  • Soup
  • Breakfast cereal and nutrition bars
  • Canned fruit and vegetables
  • Canned tuna and chicken

Our Daily Bread Food Pantry at Catholic Charities is available to households based on the number of people living in the home. 

Is your organization offering food assistance to students and families?

Let us know in the comments!

Erin Bartel
Erin is a marketing consultant in Wichita KS. She spends her days helping local businesses and non-profits navigate the ever-changing waters of digital marketing and homeschooling her kids. She and her daughter also own Sassy Squid Ink, an imprint designing notebooks, journals, and sketchbooks. Married to her college sweetheart and the mother of 2, Erin's hobbies include bribing herself to exercise, traveling with (and without) her family, and trying to remember where she hid the chocolate.