For immediate release
Thursday, January 23, 2020
Contact: Jacqueline Reis 781-338-3115
Preparations Begin for Summer Meals Program Efforts target childhood hunger by providing children and youth access to healthy meals
MALDEN – The Baker-Polito Administration, in collaboration with the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), is preparing now to launch the 2020 Summer Food Service Program in June and hopes additional organizations will come forward to sponsor meal sites.
The Summer Food Service Program is a U.S. Department of Agriculture-funded initiative that provides free, nutritious meals to children when school is not in session. In Massachusetts, DESE administers the program.
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 families frequently find it difficult to replace the lost food. Without access to meals, children are at a greater risk of developing unhealthy eating habits, fatigue, weight gain and summer learning loss.
The Summer Food Service Program fills this gap by providing nutritious meals in eligible areas throughout the state. The program provides children with access to meals at schools, parks, swimming pools, playgrounds, and other community sites, often in conjunction with enrichment and recreational activities.
“Food insecurity doesn’t disappear just because school is out for the summer,” Education Secretary James Peyser said. “The Summer Food Service Program helps students continue to grow and be ready to learn even when school isn’t in session.”
“Our students can achieve amazing things with the right supports, and those include the Summer Food Service Program,” Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Jeffrey C. Riley said. “I am grateful to all the sponsors who distribute food and in many cases provide enrichment opportunities for students, and I hope additional organizations will consider becoming sponsors this year.”
Participation in the summer feeding program has been increasing annually for more than 25 years. Last summer, over 100 sponsoring organizations participated, feeding an average of nearly 60,000 young people per day at more than 1,000 feeding sites across the state. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education expects the program to grow again this year.
Many Summer Food Service Programs will open before July 4 and will operate until mid-August. Sponsors operate the sites with close technical support from DESE and outreach assistance from the Child Nutrition Outreach Program (CNOP) at Project Bread.
For information on summer meals, including how to become a sponsor, call Project Bread at 617-723-5000.
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