For kids, summertime should mean food, friends and fun, but for many it’s a time of food hardship and uncertainty. Many low income Arkansas families report it is especially hard to make ends meet in the summer when children who normally participate in the national school lunch program are out of school. Providing that additional meal in the summer puts extra stress on parents and caregivers who are already struggling to stretch tight food budgets. Some report spending as much as $300 more a month on food during the summer months.
So how can we make sure kids get the healthy food they need while helping lift the burden of higher food costs from low income families? The federal Summer Food Service Program (Summer Meals Program) administered through the Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) and the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) provides a solution. Free, healthy meals are available to kids and teens age 18 and under at hundreds of summer meals sites in underserved communities across Arkansas. These Summer Meals sites are funded by the United States Department of Agriculture, approved by state agencies, and operated at safe local organizations like schools, Boys & Girls Clubs, churches, summer camps and community centers.
The Arkansas No Kid Hungry campaign works with DHS and ADE to help identify potential summer meals sponsors and assist these sponsors in developing successful, sustainable programs that meet the needs of underserved children in their communities. We provide sponsors with technical assistance in navigating the application process and capacity building through grants from Share Our Strength, the national non-profit organization that developed the No Kid Hungry campaign strategy. During the summer of 2012, DHS and ADE Summer Meals sponsors in Arkansas served more than 2.5 million meals to children while school was out―an increase of 547,000 meals over the previous year.
Right now we are in the process of finding more summer meals sponsors and helping re-enroll sponsors who participated in last summer’s programs. If your church or organization is interested in being a 2013 Summer Meals sponsor, contact Justin Keller at jkeller@arhungeralliance.org or Ebony Read at eread@arhungeralliance.org. The application deadline in June 15, 2013.