The short version: Several Purchase districts still serve free summer meals to kids, but they stop on a staggered schedule between late July and early August, and not all on the same day. Calloway County's last pickup is July 27. McCracken and Mayfield run through July 28. A Graves County site runs all the way to August 5. Here's the full list so you don't drive to a closed door.
Every summer the districts feed kids for free, and every summer they quietly stop without much warning. If you count on it, this is the week to check the calendar, because the sites close on different days and the window is closing fast.
The sites still running
Here is where meals are still going, and the last day for each. A couple of important notes live in the table, so read the whole thing before you go.
District | Where and when | Last day |
|---|---|---|
Calloway County | Monday pickup, 11 a.m.–1 p.m., Calloway County High School (remaining Mondays July 13, 20, 27) | July 27 |
McCracken County | Tuesday shelf-stable bags, Lone Oak Middle and Reidland Elementary (registered 11 a.m.–1 p.m.; others 12:30–1) | July 28 |
Mayfield Independent | Breakfast and lunch, weekdays, Mayfield Elementary and Mayfield High | July 28 |
Graves County Middle School | Breakfast 8–8:30, lunch 11–11:30 | Aug. 5 |
Paducah Independent | Free breakfast and lunch for any child 0–18, mobile routes plus a daily site at Forest Hills | Call 270-440-5600 for current stops |
Add those up and the region's free-meal window closes in a nine-day cascade, from Calloway's last Monday on July 27 to that Graves County site on August 5, one day before Graves County's own first bell.
Two things worth knowing
McCracken's program is smaller this year than in summers past. It narrowed to Tuesday-only shelf-stable bag pickup at two schools, with on-site hot meals limited to kids registered for camps and activities. So if you relied on daily on-site meals there before, the format changed.
Paducah Independent is the most open door of the bunch: it feeds any child 0 to 18, regardless of which district you live in, through mobile routes and a daily site. If your summer schedule is scattered, that is the number to call.
What about Marshall County?
Marshall County ran a limited program last summer, Thursdays in June only, and its 2026 schedule was not posted as of this writing. If you are a Marshall County family, call the schools' nutrition office to confirm whether anything is running into July before you count on it. We have asked.
Quick questions
Do I have to register my kid for summer meals? It varies. Some sites serve any child who shows up; McCracken's bag program has a registration tier for guaranteed portions. Paducah Independent serves any child 0–18.
When do the free-meal sites close? Between July 27 (Calloway) and August 5 (a Graves County site), depending on the district.
Is it really free? Yes, at every site listed. There is no charge and no income requirement to pick up a meal for a child.
