A free, nutritious summer meal can be a big deal for a young person.

Perhaps that’s why the Oxford School District served more than 15,000 free summer meals, including breakfast and lunch.

The free summer meal program, which started this week and runs through July 21 at the Oxford Intermediate School, is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Oxford schools are reimbursed for every meal they serve, any young person the ages of 1 and 18 is eligible for a meal.

Eating at the school cafeteria may not sound like the perfect summer for some families but others find that the summer can prove challenging. With working parents and more children at home, both the time to prepare and the money needed for extra food and meals can result in lower nutrition for children who normally eat breakfast and lunch at schools.

The fact that more than 15,000 meals were served last summer in Oxford speaks to the need.

This summer will likely see similar demand, since active summer programs for youth often participate in the summer meals program.

And while it is true that there is no such thing as a free lunch — the federal government is paying for this — Oxford schools are wise to take advantage of what is offered and make the most of it, serving the customer with nutritious meals for young people at a time they are needed.