Keara Ryan is the Summer and Centers Coordinator for the Food & Nutrition team in HSD’s Youth and Family Empowerment division. In our latest Employee Spotlight, Keara writes about the Summer Food Service Program and the joy of working directly with children and families.

What is your role at Seattle Human Services?

I coordinate the operations of the Summer Food Service Program and support childcare centers that receive meal reimbursement through the Child and Adult Care Food Program. Both programs are federally administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and overseen by the Washington State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

What is the Summer Food Service Program, and what does your day-to-day look like at this stage?

The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) is an initiative ensuring that youth ages 1-18 from low-income households have access to nutritious meals during the summer months at various parks and community centers when school is out.

By early May, most of the coordination for meal locations, schedules, and meal types is complete. Right now, my work focuses on preparing our partners, those who provide direct service to children and families, to begin meal service on June 24 and continue through August 21. Our Food & Nutrition team is also preparing to welcome our seasonal staff: five Summer Monitors and one Summer Food Driver. This seasonal team supports program compliance and deliveries throughout the summer.

In the summer, my work consists of submitting meal orders, addressing any issues at program sites, and supporting the temporary summer employees by accompanying them on their monitoring visits. Summer is always great because I am out in the field quite often.

Why is it important for students to get meals when school is not in session?

Free, nutritious meals ensure that kids have consistent access to food year-round. The need for food does not end with the school year. When school ends, many families face significantly higher grocery costs. Summer meals help bridge that gap for families across the city.

As someone who received free meals throughout my K–12 education, I know firsthand how essential they are, and I also remember the shame and stigma that can come with them.

One of the things I value most about SFSP is that there is no stigma. Kids don’t need to provide identifying information. They simply walk up and receive a meal, no questions asked. Many families don’t even realize they are participating in a federally funded nutrition program. They just know they have welcoming and supportive public places in their community where they can receive a meal.

Our partners do an incredible job creating warm and inclusive environments for children. If you visit any one of our sites, you will find kids and families making friendship bracelets, playing a game with one of the site leads, or a variety of other activities hosted by our partners.

What is changing this year about SFSP that people should know about?

We have updated our menus to better accommodate dietary restrictions and to make meals more appealing to children. These updates were informed by extensive surveys conducted in summer 2025 to ensure that our offerings better reflect the needs and preferences of the families we serve.

HSD does not operate SFSP sites directly, so we depend on partner organizations to serve meals. The number of partner sites dropped significantly during the pandemic, and while we’ve been steadily building back up, federal funding cuts and other factors have strained our partners’ capacity and limited their ability to host summer meal sites at previous levels.

Despite these challenges, we still have nearly 50 sites across the city that will operate at full capacity. Given the high cost of food and recent cuts to SNAP, we know the community need is growing, and no one will be turned away.

What’s the best part of your job?

The best part of my job is the incredible people I get to work with every day: Rec Leads at Community Centers, our temporary Summer Monitors, Seattle Public Schools Culinary Staff, childcare providers, and so many others across the Human Services Department. It’s inspiring to know we’re all working toward the same goal: supporting food access in Seattle.

I also love being out in the field, connecting with site leads and spending time with the kids. I volunteer with youth leadership programs outside of work, and I love working with children. Any day I get to see kids eating meals that I have put time and effort into coordinating is an amazing day.

How can people get involved with SFSP or help spread the word?

One of the most impactful ways to help is simply by sharing SFSP meal locations with your community and anyone who may benefit. The full list of sites will be posted on our webpage in early June.

We also invite everyone to our Summer Food Celebration on Friday, July 17 at Highland Park Playground from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. This event celebrates more than 50 years of summer meal service in Seattle and includes free meals, bounce houses, face painting, popsicles, and a family resource fair.

If you are interested in fliers to promote SFSP, the Summer Celebration, or other food access programs, please email us at sfsp@seattle.gov.