USDA to help establish summer child feeding sites
April 12, 2013 | 06:15 PM
The Agriculture Department wants to increase the number of sites offering summer feeding programs this year and will provide intensive technical assistance to expand the reach of the program in five states with high levels of rural or urban food insecurity or historically low program participation rates, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a call to reporters today.
The states receiving special attention are Arkansas, California, Colorado, Rhode Island and Virginia.
“Poor nutrition during summer months sets up a cycle of poor performance once school begins again and makes children — especially those who experience poverty or food insecurity — more prone to illness and other health issues,” Vilsack said.
The secretary noted that while 32 million children participate in the school meals programs and 21 million of those receive free or reduced price lunches, only 2.3 million children were served summer meals on a typical day in 2012.
Vilsack said USDA would like to add 5 million children. Summer meals are free, and sites offering the meals are reimbursed almost $2 for each lunch served and $3.50 for other meals.
Vilsack said that the money is provided through USDA’s mandatory spending nutrition account and that he is not worried that there will be too many applications.
Billy Shore of Share Our Strength said his organization’s survey of low-income families found that 43 percent of them find it harder to make ends meet in the summer, when they children do not get meals at school. Shore said parents are looking for summer meal sites that are safe and close enough that the children can get to them.
The states receiving special attention are Arkansas, California, Colorado, Rhode Island and Virginia.
“Poor nutrition during summer months sets up a cycle of poor performance once school begins again and makes children — especially those who experience poverty or food insecurity — more prone to illness and other health issues,” Vilsack said.
The secretary noted that while 32 million children participate in the school meals programs and 21 million of those receive free or reduced price lunches, only 2.3 million children were served summer meals on a typical day in 2012.
Vilsack said USDA would like to add 5 million children. Summer meals are free, and sites offering the meals are reimbursed almost $2 for each lunch served and $3.50 for other meals.
Vilsack said that the money is provided through USDA’s mandatory spending nutrition account and that he is not worried that there will be too many applications.
Billy Shore of Share Our Strength said his organization’s survey of low-income families found that 43 percent of them find it harder to make ends meet in the summer, when they children do not get meals at school. Shore said parents are looking for summer meal sites that are safe and close enough that the children can get to them.
