News Article - Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

For Immediate Release
Thursday, July 9, 2015
Contact:	Jacqueline Reis 781-338-3115

Summer Meals Program Targets Childhood Hunger by Providing Children and Youth Access to Healthy Meals

2015 Summer Food Service Program to provide tens of thousands of children meals at no cost

MALDEN - The Baker-Polito Administration, in collaboration with the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE), this week launched the 2015 Summer Food Service Program, a federally-funded initiative that provides free meals to children age 18 and younger when school is not in session. More than 400,000 children across Massachusetts qualify for free or low-cost school meals during the school year. During the summer months, children and families lose access to these nutritious meals and frequently find it difficult to pay for the additional meals. The Summer Food Service Program fills this meal gap by providing nutritious meals in eligible areas throughout the state. "The Lieutenant Governor and I thank the partners who have stepped forward to ensure that our Commonwealth's children in need are getting nutritious meals during the summer," said Gov. Charlie Baker. "Thanks to programs like this, our children will be focused on having a great summer and preparing for the next school year, rather than worrying about where their next meal will come from." The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and administered in Massachusetts by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. The program provides children with access to nutritious meals at schools, parks, swimming pools, playgrounds, and other community sites, often in conjunction with enrichment and recreational activities. Without access to meals, children are at greater risk of unhealthy eating habits, fatigue, weight gain and summer learning loss. Last summer, the summer meals program fed an average of nearly 60,000 young people per day across the state, a figure that continued the growth the program has experienced since more targeted outreach began in 1992. "Students don't stop learning when they're out of school, and hunger doesn't take a vacation," said Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Mitchell D. Chester. "I hope families will seek out summer meal sites, and I hope additional sponsors will help us continue to expand this program's reach." "It is important that families all across the Commonwealth have access to nutritious meals during not just the school year, but year-round," said Department of Transitional Assistance Commissioner Jeff McCue. "Ensuring that children in need have access to healthy meals at community locations will allow learning and growth to continue throughout the summer months." Most Summer Food Service Program sites open by July 6 and run until mid-August. Sponsors operate the sites with close technical support from ESE and outreach assistance from the Child Nutrition Outreach Program (CNOP) at Project Bread. For information on site locations, including the start and end times of service, go to Find a Summer Meal Site or call Project Bread's FoodSource Hotline at 1-800-645-8333 or text 617-863-MEAL (6325). To watch a short video on the Summer Food Service program, go to YouTube: Getting Involved With SFSP. ###

Last Updated: July 9, 2015