Several agencies and organizations within the City of Rochester are making sure that kids stay healthy, active and cool during the summer months.

The city has partnered with Foodlink and the Rochester City School District to offer free summer meals to children 18 and under.

The program provides free breakfast and lunch for school children, many of whom normally qualify for free or reduced price lunches during the school year. Children are able to get breakfast and lunch at 17 different sites around Rochester, including City R-Centers, the Genesee Valley Park Field House, the Lake Riley Lodge at Cobbs Hill Park, and several community agencies, churches and schools.

Chris Holdridge, who hosts one of the summer meals sites to give out food, explained the need for such a program. “In the summertime [the children] are just as in need of that one or two meals a day as they are during the rest of the year, but because school is out, most people often forget that they need those meals,” Holdridge said.

To kick off the program, the City of Rochester also hosted a free day of fun and activities at Frontier Field.

Children do not need to be pre-registered in order to receive free meals.

The City of Rochester is also sponsoring its “Cool Sweep” initiative, which offers extended hours and locations at pools, hydrants and spray parks to help residents cool off.

Several Rochester high schools, including East High, Jefferson High, Northeast and Northwest High at the Frederick Douglass Campus and the Joseph C. Wilson Foundation Academy, have opened their pools and are keeping them open longer on Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

As with any pool, the city is putting in extra hours and supplies in keeping water purity levels where they need to be. These pools operate similarly to residential pools, which need to have their water completely turned over at least once every 24 hours, often at lower filter speeds.

Also open are area pools at a few R-Center locations and Genesee Valley Park, and Durand Eastman Beach will offer extended hours for those who prefer lakes over pools.

[Image courtesy of the City of Rochester.]