Start Planning for Summer Meals Now

December 2nd, 2010

Do you utilize public programs to provide breakfast and lunch to young people attending your program? Now is the time to start planning and gather information about how to provide healthy nutrition this summer.

Each summer, a small fraction of children eligible to receive nutritious meals actually do. According to the most recent data, only one in six children from a low-income household who ate a school lunch during the year received meals during the summer.  According to the Comprehensive Assessment of Summer Programs (CASP), the highest quality summer programs provide all meals (breakfast, lunch, snack) appropriate to the schedule for young people every day the program is in session.

There are many good reasons why summer meals are critical to children. Balanced nutrition supports healthy development. Some research suggests that younger children are disproportionally affected by the loss of nutrition because they cannot obtain food themselves through other means. And for families with already stretched food budgets, income does not increase with school dismissal. Summer meals bridge the gap.

The summer learning community can make a difference. If your summer program doesn’t take advantage of the federal Summer Nutrition programs now is the time to start planning. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Visit the USDA’s list of state directors for the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP).
2. Find your state.
3. Call your state director office and tell them you are interested in being a sponsor of the Summer Food Service Program.

A phone call is a simple step towards supporting the healthy development of children and teens in the most basic way. If you already utilize public support for summer meals, that’s wonderful. Pass the link for this post on to others in your network who may not.

Earlier this week First Lady Michelle Obama launched a new facet of the Let’s Move! initiative, Let’s Move Faith and Communities. This newest endeavor will engage faith- and community-based leaders in efforts to address childhood obesity in their communities. One of the four goals set forth for this group in the coming year is hosting 1,000 new summer feeding sites at congregations or neighborhood organizations. Let’s join the First Lady in her effort to ensure that no child goes hungry this summer.

Last 5 posts by Susanne Sparks

• Federal web resources and newsletters - November 16th, 2010
• “Hunger Doesn’t Take a Vacation” — 2009 Data Release today - June 29th, 2010
• Prevent Summer Hunger - April 2nd, 2010
• Summer Program Planning Webinar Series - February 4th, 2010

Filed under: Summer Learning News,Wellness