san diego

2025 Summer Lunch Programs for Kids (And Other Free Food Resources in San Diego)

Abby H.

file0001360139839

I’m back with as many free summer lunch resources as I could find for 2025!

Y’all know I love to keep everyone’s kids fed.

San Diego Unified School District has partnered with San Diego Parks and Recreation to have food available at neighborhood schools and Recreation centers throughout the city of San Diego. The complete list of locations can be found here. Times vary by location.

Feeding San Diego has a list of locations in San Diego County offering free food for kids 0-18 here.

Feeding San Diego has many other programs to help families and individuals all over San Diego County. You can learn more about all of their programs here.

Lunch at the library:

City of San Diego library has two locations participating; more information and hours/times can be found here.

County of San Diego library locations include Ramona, Casa de Oro, and Spring Valley. Check to see if your county library branch is participating here.

Lunch at the Park is hosted by several libraries throughout the City of San Diego!

To find schools near you participating in free summer lunches for kids, the California Department of Education website has a map for the entire state of CA, separated by County with free lunch locations for children.

If you need assistance feeding yourself and/or your family beyond these free meals, and you are looking for free and low-cost food resources, check my page here.

 

7/11/2025 All-Inclusive Day of Play & Resource Fair!

Abby H.

It’s time again for the All Inclusive Day of Play & Resource Fair on Friday, July 11, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Miramar Hourglass Recreation Center – 10440 Black Mountain Road, San Diego, CA 92126.

All activities and resources are available free of charge and open to the public.

Kids of all abilities will love this event, brought to you by the Special Needs Resource Foundation. Below is just a glimpse of what to expect:

Activity stations

  • Prizes
  • Crafts
  • Character meet and greets
  • Family resources 
  • Networking
  • Shopping
  • Games
  • Free parking 

 

Sign up to join us for this amazing day of inclusivity.

Activity stations for kids include favorites: Olaf Snowball Toss, Pokémon Scavenger Hunt, Super Wheelchair Awareness Course, Super Hero City Speedway, Crown-a-Polooza, and more!

Character meet and greets: Say hello to Princess Ariel and other beloved characters at this fun-filled event that the family will love.

Family resources and networking: Resource and service providers will be on-site to speak with parents and offer helpful information. Be sure to pick up a copy of Flourishing Families at our Special Needs Resource Foundation booth.

ShopAble Bazaar: Stop by to browse and buy amazing products and valuable services from business owners with disabilities.

Sensory Time: From 11 to 11:30 a.m., families who need a quieter environment can enjoy the event with just one opening announcement and no music.

2025- Summer Movies for Kids on the Cheap!

Abby H.1 Comment

One of the kid’s favorite summer activities is to hit up the local theater for a showing of one of their favorite movies.

Big buckets of popcorn, snuck in candy (shhhh), and a drink and they are ready for 2 hours of fun in the Air Conditioning.

AMC Theatres is bringing back Summer Movie Camp starting 6/23/25. Tickets are just $3.oo/each at the box office!

 Summer Movie Clubhouse at Cinemark starts June 2, 2025. Bring the kids and enjoy exciting family-friendly big-screen entertainment for just $1.75 (plus taxes) per ticket for each movie.

Lots of smaller theatre chains have also joined this bandwagon! Marcus Theatres, MegaPlex, Epic Theatres are just a few. These theatres do not have locations in California

Theatre chains that have not published their schedules yet, but in the past have had family/kids movies in the summer:

Reading Cinemas usually has the Reel Kids program, with ticket prices reduced to $2/ticket!

Regal Summer Movie Express usually offers tickets for $2 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, featuring summer movies the whole family will enjoy.

UltraStar Cinemas doesn’t have anything posted yet, but they do offer discounts on tickets and popcorn on Thursdays year-round.

Talk Back: What summer movies are you looking forward to seeing?

Saving on Summer fun with Tweens and Teens with Groupon!

Abby H.1 Comment

We’ve got less than 30 school days left, and the kids are already asking what we’re doing this summer.

In the past I’ve written posts about free stuff to do in San Diego over the summer, and I’ll have one up later this week, but Tweens and Tweens sometimes are “too big/too cool” for the splashpads at parks, or don’t want to go to the library for craft events.

I headed over to Groupon this morning to see what I could find that might appeal to my posse.

If you are looking for different activities, new restaurants to try, or maybe even a massage, check out Groupon. They have all sorts of cool deals available!

April 2025 Upcoming Clothing Swaps

Abby H.

I love clothing swaps- If you have read my blog, you know it’s one of my favorite ways to refresh the kid’s wardrobes (and my own).

And as always, if you are looking for more information about clothing swaps, check out my post (with other San Diego, CA area resources)  here.

April means Earth Day is coming up! And that means clothing swaps!

Clothing Swap at La Mesa’s Earth Day Fair!
Join I Love A Clean San Diego for a free clothing and accessories swap during the City of La Mesa’s Earth Day Fair on Saturday, April 19th, at the La Mesa Community Garden! Swap your gently used clothes, shoes, and accessories and find your next favorite outfit while helping keep textiles out of the landfill.

La Mesa Community Garden – 5080 Memorial Dr.
11:00 AM – 3:00 PM
No registration is needed – walk-ins are welcome!

Women’s Clothing Swap
Location: The Chapel at Grossmont
5651 Water St, La Mesa, CA
Saturday, April 26, 2025
10 am-2 pm
How it works:
Bring your gently used* WOMEN’S CLOTHING, accessories, shoes, etc. and trade them for items you want to take home. No selling, no buying, just swapping. You simply drop off your items on the front table and you can start shopping for items you want to take home – free! Come and drop off all the items you want to swap and leave with items that will bring value to you.
Items can include:
-Gently used* or semi-new clothing pieces
-Gently used* or semi-new shoes
-Jewelry pieces
-Accessories: scarfs, hats, purses, belts
*Items should be freshly laundered and either on hangers or laid flat in a box (not in bags, please)

Reminders:
– SWAP FOR YOU. NO LUGGAGE PLEASE. NOT FOR RESALE.
– Bring a bag to take home all your finds.
– Wear tights and a fitted blouse to easily try on clothes.

4/13/2025 All-Inclusive Day of Play: Starry Night Cinema & Resource Fair!

Abby H.

This event is back and will be an amazing time! The  2nd Annual All-Inclusive Day of Play: Starry Cinema & Resource Fair on Sunday, April 13 from 10 AM to 1 PM at the Salvation Army Kroc Center Corner Zone – 6845 University Ave., San Diego, 92115.

  • Activity Stations
  • Movie Screening Area
  • Giveaways & Crafts
  •  Family Resources
  • Networking
  • Shopping,
  • Games & more!

And as the sun sets, an outdoor screening of a family movie (title to be determined) will be shown on a large outdoor screen! Bring your chairs and blankets!

For tickets and to learn more, visit their website. 

Fun, Free, & Frugal Events for Kids & Families in San Diego, CA

Abby H.

With better weather and Spring Break on the horizon for most of us, it’s time to get out of the house and find some fun, free stuff to do!

San Diego is full of fun outdoor adventures. If you are looking for places to take your kids for some hikes or walks, Hidden San Diego has a list of 40 kid-friendly hikes here. Hidden San Diego also has some amazing information about San Diego’s history, locations to explore, and even some creepy lore surrounding America’s Finest City.

If you’ve read my blog for a while, you know about the JCPenney Kids Zone free crafts that occur every second Saturday of the month in selected JCPenney stores.

You probably also know about the Home Depot Kids Workshop, which takes place every second Saturday of the month. However, some stores do one every single week; you just need to check your local Home Depot store to find out.

Did you also know that Lowe’s Hardware store does a similar activity on the third Saturday of each month? 

Lakeshore, the educational store, holds free kids events, including storytime with Pete the cat and sensory events.

If you are in the eastern part of San Diego County, the Water Conservation Garden at Cuyamaca College offers free admission on Fridays from 9am-4pm.

While not always free, Michaels offers in-store classes for both Kids and adults. Sometimes, the classes are free, and sometimes there is a class fee (usually $15 or less). Classes run for about an hour, and you need to take something really cool home with you.

The San Diego Craft Collective at Liberty Station has a free class on the first Friday of each month from 5 to 6 PM.

Don’t forget their resident free days at Balboa Park every single Tuesday.

If you’re looking for more fun, free events, check your local shopping center or mall. Parkway Plaza in El Cajon has a free kids event every month. It usually involves a craft and some sort of fun games where you can win prizes. 

Groupon always has discounted admissions to local attractions like Legoland, Birch Aquarium, and indoor trampoline/play places.

 When I find more, I will definitely post more. 

Upcoming JCP Kid’s Craft Events!

Abby H.

Are you heading to the mall on 3/8/2025? Check out this fun, free craft from JCPenney’s.

Visit the Kids Zone inside JCPenney and kids can crate this cute rainbow mobile.

Parents/Adults score a 10% off coupon, which can be combined with another coupon. JCP Coupons can be found here.

April’s Craft is a cute foam finger puppet collection. April 12, 2025.

JCPenney hosts a fun craft event in store for kids on the second Saturday of each month.  They are easy for kids, and fun, free activity.

While you are there, make sure to join their Rewards Program. There are a lot of great benefits, and it’s free to join. I do a lot of our shopping at JCP. They are very size-inclusive, have great prices/sales, and support diversity in the communities in which they are located.

In-store events are only where local mandates allow.  All kids must be accompanied by an adult.

North County Low Cost Food Resource- More Than Apples

Abby H.

I learned about More Than Apples from TikToker Becky O. She lives in Northern San Diego County and her videos came up on my FYP a few months ago. After doing some internet sleuthing I discovered her Food Mystery Boxes as she calls them come from More Than Apples.

From their website: “Every Thursday, More Than Apples collects food that would otherwise go to waste and distributes it to families in North County San Diego. Each week, our Abundance Boxes are unique and filled with a variety of packaged goods, baked items, cold items, and fresh produce.”

If you live in North County, I suggest you check out Becky’s videos linked above and see if the mystery food box is something you’d like to take advantage of!

More Than Apples has gone Viral thanks to social media coverage, and their boxes sell out quickly. There are a few other food rescues in San Diego County, including my favorite Porchlight Community Services in Clairemont. You can read about them here.

Positive Parenting: Free Online Parenting support!

Abby H.

This information was emailed to me by my kid’s school district.

The Santee School District and Jewish Family Services are presenting the Positive Parenting Program via Zoom.

Dates: Wednesdays: 10/9, 10/16 & 10/26, 2024
Time: 6-7:30pm (Register in advance)
Register Here