Julieta and José Salazar-Bueso approached the food truck still buzzing with excitement from the soccer game they watched the night before. While their mom looked on, a baby perched on her hip, the 8-year-old and 4-year-old siblings picked up paper trays loaded with packets of Honey Nut Cheerios, plastic-wrapped fruit and mini cartons of milk.

“From the moment these kids wake up, they’re eating,” laughed Ruth Bueso. At 8:30 a.m., the Armistead Gardens resident was already exhausted. The Str/EATs food truck, which is parked in her neighborhood and gives out free breakfast and lunch most weekdays through the end of the month, has been a huge help for Bueso’s family, which includes another older kid at home.

“We’re alleviating some of the mental load of summer for parents,” said Cynthia Shea, who heads Baltimore City Schools’ food and nutrition department.

Local meal programs like this one, mostly funded through the federal government, help parents out at a time when budgets are tighter than ever. Many parents can’t work with their kids home from school, or else they need to shell out for pricey camps and other programs.

“Summers are expensive, meals are expensive, it’s all expensive,” said Emily Williamson, a spokeswoman for Baltimore County Public Libraries. “We’re here to help.”

For the 10th year, Baltimore County Public Libraries are giving out free meals to those ages 2 to 18. This year, the county is expanding the program from 12 branches to 17, which Williamson said reflects the growing need.

Baltimore City and Baltimore County school systems already offer all students free meals throughout the year because most children in both jurisdictions qualify for either free or reduced-price lunches. But advocates say the administration of President Donald Trump has put schools’ ability to give out any free meals in a precarious position.

“It’s troubling,” said Erik Peterson, senior vice president of policy at the Afterschool Alliance.

Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law July 4, will reduce the number of families who receive SNAP and Medicaid — which in turn means fewer families will be directly certified for free and reduced lunch, Peterson said.

Trump has also proposed slashing funding for after-school and summer programs; school systems scrambled last week after the administration withheld nearly $7 billion in previously allocated funds. “We fear there will be a lot fewer program sites where meals could be provided,” said Peterson, adding that many school systems are still struggling to understand what the new laws and policy changes mean for them.

Gboyinde Onijala, a spokeswoman for Baltimore County Schools, said she did not anticipate any changes to their offerings. “We’re moving full steam ahead with our program,” she said.

When asked about the changes in Washington, Baltimore City Schools spokeswoman Sherry Christian pointed to a January statement that said they are monitoring the rapid changes and remain “committed to supporting our students and maintaining a welcoming respectful environment, while we work collaboratively with local, state, and national leaders to ensure that the voices of our community are heard and their needs are met.”

In the meantime, students and their parents in Armistead Gardens could count on one thing last week: the Str/EATs food truck. “It helps a lot,” said Amanda Lengrand, who stopped by with her 6-year-old, Hunter. Lengrand works in the Armistead Gardens Elementary/Middle School cafeteria during the school year, but needs to watch her spending since she stays home with her son during the summer.

Shea said Baltimore City Schools initially rolled out the food truck five years ago with the intention of appealing to older students who often look down their noses at school meals. But it’s been hard to integrate the vehicle in day-to-day operations. For the past few years, the truck has proven most useful during the summertime, traveling between facilities to serve meals to kids.

The truck has parked exclusively in Armistead Gardens, a diverse and working-class neighborhood in East Baltimore, since the end of June because the elementary and middle school’s usual cafeteria is under construction. The neighborhood also has the advantage of being one where most families who attend the school live nearby, which means kids are more likely to go to a summer program there — though they don’t need to be enrolled in those programs to get fed.

Elsewhere in the city, many neighborhood schools open their doors to kids for summer meals, whether or not students are attending programs there. But by handing out food right on the sidewalk, the Str/EATs food truck lowers the barrier to entry.

While federal funds cover meals for kids, Shea said a grant from grocery chain Giant allows the food truck to feed grown-ups, too. “We don’t turn anyone away,” she said. She encourages adults to come sit and eat with their kids. “We got you.”

As he dropped off his 7-year-old daughter at a summer program held at Armistead Gardens Elementary/Middle School, Daiquon Brown stopped to have water and chat with the staff who keep the food truck going. “It’s a great program,” said Brown, who learned about Str/EATs from the school’s app and said he sometimes has a meal there on his way to work.

Billy Logan, who works as a cafeteria manager during the school year, drives the food truck each morning to Fort Worthington Elementary/Middle School, where the food is prepared, to load up breakfast. Later in the day, other workers will come by to bring lunch, already portioned out and ready to go.

Today it’ll be everyone’s favorite: pizza.

Baltimore Banner intern Nina Giraldo contributed to this article.