In an effort to provide ensure kids have access to meals during the holiday break, Inside Out Community Development Corp. will collaborate with five care-giving agencies to provide hot, nutritious meals to the youngsters they are serving.

Participating agencies include Buley and Ross community centers, the Muncie Boys & Girls Club, the Unity Center and Motivate Our Minds.

Meals will be served at 3 p.m. three days a week — Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday — during the weeks of Christmas and New Year’s Day.

The program will continue throughout the month of January with funds provided by the city of Muncie.

“We feel that this is the right thing to do for our children,” Mayor Dennis Tyler said in a press release. “We know that children deserve hot, nutritious meals all year. This program will ensure that children also enjoy a good meal with their peers during the holidays.”

According to the Kids Count Data Center provided by the Indiana Youth Institute, 75.1 percent of students attending Muncie Community Schools receive free or reduced-price lunches.

“We are so excited to serve our youth and their care-giving agencies by supplying nutritious meals,” Bob Ball, executive director of Inside Out, said in the release. “This funding is just for the holidays, but our ultimate goal is to provide meals year round. We believe that nutritious meals will produce healthier children at home and in the classroom.”

A launch is projected for a larger project is projected that would deliver more than 400 meals each day for all of the centers.

Sponsorships are being sought to raise funds to sustain the hot meals program for local youth-serving agencies throughout the year