The Food Bank of Northern Nevada (FBNN) is offering its Kids Cafe program during fall break at five locations in Reno and Sparks.

Free lunches are available at the Downtown Reno Library, Sparks Library, North Valleys Library, Jessie Beck Elementary School, and the Mariposa Language and Learning Academy. Hours vary by location, but meals are generally available around noon. Jessie Beck and Mariposa also offer a snack between 8:30 a.m. and 9 a.m.

Director of Marketing Jocelyn Lantrip says the program will help families get through this tough time.

"We are still seeing need in record levels that we have not seen at the Food Bank before in our 42-year history," she said.

All kids between two and 18 years old are eligible for the program, and there's not a lot they have to do.

"All you have to do is be a child and show up at the right time and eat that meal on site," Lantrip said.

Lantrip says no other qualifications are needed, and you don't have to live near any of the locations.

"We want to make sure kids get those meals during the break and they're ready to go back to school next week," she said.

Along with rising prices, FBNN says it's concerned with the government shutdown. Lantrip says the Food Bank hasn't seen any serious impacts yet, but they are worried about it for multiple reasons, including the impacts on federally funded benefits for families.

"If the shutdown continues," Lantrip said, "we are very concerned about SNAP and WIC and the programs that really help.

Benefits like SNAP and WIC could be at risk if the shutdown extends beyond a couple of weeks.

FBNN encourages anyone directly impacted by the shutdown to take advantage of their resources and reach out if they need help.

"That's why we're here," Lantrip said. "We don't want people to miss meals because they are out of work right now or not receiving a paycheck."

As far as Kids Cafe, the fall break program runs through this Friday. When kids return to school on Monday, Kids Cafe will offer free after-school meals at a number of schools in our area.

For a complete list of participating locations and when they're offering meals, click here.