It is stale news that Nigerians are hungry and angry. Yes we are. This piece by a professional colleague in the US, Danielle Nierenberg, President, Food Tank, addresses the issue of hunger in the US and some other climes. I will publish it in two slots. It may be useful to our hunger managers. Have a good read.
The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) is a federal initiative of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that provides funding for states to feed their children when schools are closed for the summer.
The funds are available to every community in the United States. But of the 20.1 million children who received subsidized lunches during the 2014–2015 school year, only 3.2 million received consistent summer meals, according to the Food Research Action Center. Local organizations, governments, schools, camps, churches, and leaders are working to make sure these federal funds are implemented and accessible in their communities.
“When children lose access to school meals, their families’ grocery bills skyrocket and families are forced to make tough choices between food and other basic necessities,” says Diana Aviv, CEO of the national nonprofit Feeding America. The benefits of summer feeding programs extend beyond fulfilling basic needs; they also provide safe places for youth to connect to educational programs and physical activities, create employment opportunities for community members, and allow families to extend their food budgets during the summer months.
But there are many roadblocks to establishing successful summer programs. According to Feeding America, nine million low-income children reside in areas that are ineligible to host SFSP meal sites. Unreliable or nonexistent transportation can also be an impediment to accessing meal sites, especially in rural communities.
Feeding America is an organization working to connect low-income children with the benefits of the SFSP, address barriers to implementation of feeding programs, raise awareness of the importance of the SFSP, and advocate for policies that improve the accessibility of summer meals. The organization operates a network of food banks which act as local sponsors and sites for the SFSP, serving consistent and wholesome food to children. Federal funding for summer meals is administered at the state level, but implementation happens at local levels. Community organizations sponsor the summer feeding programs, and institutions— such as libraries, hospitals, parks, and schools—host the programs in safe environments.
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In Vermont, a Feeding America food bank operates the VeggieVanGo, a mobile market that provides fresh produce to families and children. Through the food banks and its Kids Café and BackPack programs, Feeding America provided nearly 9.5 million meals to children in 2015.
These types of initiatives are taking place all across the world. Here are 19 initiatives working to fuel growing minds and bodies during summer vacation:
The Akshaya Patra Foundation is based in Bengaluru, India, and helps to feed school children across 10 Indian states through the Mid-Day Meal Program. The foundation’s Anganwadi feeding program extends to more than 150,000 young children and 6,000 mothers throughout the year. This feeding program provides meals to the children and mothers at community health centers, called Anganwadis.
The California Summer Meal Coalition (CSMC) is a statewide initiative of the Institute for Local Government that works to connect children to the USDA’s summer nutrition programs. Based in Sacramento, the CSMC network provides resources—such as webinars and events—that highlight examples of successful summer meal programs in the country, as well as practical advice to help local policymakers and leaders improve children’s access to meals.
The Children’s Lunchbox is an initiative of the Bean’s Cafe, a nonprofit organization in Anchorage, Alaska. The Lunchbox was founded in 2004 and partners with community programs to provide more than 300,000 meals to the area’s hungry children. The initiative offers meals during the summer, weekends, and before and after school days.
Cops ‘N’ Kids is a program based in Southbridge, Massachusetts, that works to develop responsible youth while reducing juvenile delinquencies. During the summer months, the program serves free breakfast and lunch to more than 80 kids per day. Cops ‘N’ Kids connects law enforcement from the Southbridge Police Department to youth through daily and weekly activities, such as CPR training, nutrition education, healthy cooking lessons, and gardening.
In Costa Rica, the Dirección Nacional de CEN-CINAI is a government-funded network of nutrition centers for young children that has been in operation for more than 60 years. The program serves and delivers daily meals to children and pregnant and nursing mothers, and also promotes healthy lifestyles through nutrition education of parents and caregivers.
