KIRKSVILLE, MO -- Children now have an opportunity to get a free and healthy lunch while school is out.

Starting this week, “Food 4 Kids” in conjunction with the Food Bank of Central and Northeast Missouri started serving lunch at three city parks in Kirksville.

This year kids are required to eat their lunches on site. Officials say it’s important to know kids are eating fresh food and not leftovers that have been taken home.

“We decided that it's much better if the kids come, stay, and eat at the tables because we don't want any kids to take a sack that has components in it if it's taken home and put it up in the counter, being a lunch meat sandwich or anything like that or milk, that they put on the counter and let it sit there and not be good after a while.” Said Anthony Evans, Agency Relations Coordinator at the Food Bank of Central and Northeast Missouri.

There are also games to help make lunch hour fun for the youngsters.

“We're bringing games to the park so that there's fun at the park as well as just eating the lunch. So it's good interaction between our members and the kids who are here.” Said Jim Turner, Coordinator of Food 4 Kids in Kirksville.

Food 4 Kids will be serving kids until the end of July. Lunch will be served every weekday at noon at Brashear, P.C. Mills, and Jaycee Parks in Kirksville.