More than 18 million children receive free and reduced-price school lunches
during the school year. However, when schools let out for the summer, the
number of children receiving support through food service programs drops
significantly, to fewer than 3 million. This means nearly 16 million children
from low-income families, or 1 out of every 7, are without the critical safety
net of nutritious meals during the summer.
The National
Recreation and Park Association has teamed up with the Walmart Foundation to
address this staggering statistic and eliminate child hunger. As a partner in
Fighting Hunger Together, NRPA is engaging park and recreation
agencies across the country to combat child hunger. As the largest provider
of children's meals during the summer months, park and recreation agencies
are capable of quickly and effectively reaching children in need with
nutritious meals. In fact, park and recreation agencies are on the frontline
in addressing many community health needs, including children's nutrition.
Through the Walmart Foundation's support, NRPA is helping park and
recreation agencies in 40 communities across the country expand their feeding
programs, reaching more children with nutritious meals during out-of-school
times. This mult-year collaboration has resulted in these agencies serving
more than 16 million meals to low-income children since 2010 (an increase of
3.7 million meals over previous years) .
How to Get Involved
1)
Whether running one feeding site at a community center or sponsoring a food
service program serving more than one-thousand sites, or considering adding a
feeding program for the first time, NRPA can help your agency reach more
at-risk children. To learn more, contact Jimmy
O'Connor.
2) USDA Food and Nutrition Services offers
comprehensive information on the administration and management of federal food
service programs, including the Summer Food Service Program and Child
and Adult Care Food Program at http://www.fns.usda.gov/fns/.
What Cities Are
Involved
84% of the 12,000 park and recreation agencies throughout the
United States are providing meals to low-income children. These agencies
represent nearly every community, from large to small and urban to rural.
Through NRPA's Serving Communities grant, park and receation agencies
in the following communities are expanding their food service programs:
- Montgomery, AL
- Jacksonville, AR
- Bakersfield,
CA
- Los Angeles, CA
- San Diego, CA
- Inglewood, CA
- Monte Vista, CO
- Colorado Springs, CO
- Washington D.C.
- Hialeah, FL
- St. Petersburg, FL
- Atlanta, GA
- Chicago,
IL
- Elgin, IL
- Bloomington, IN
- Indianapolis, IN
- Wichita, KS
- New Orleans, LA
- New Bedford, MA
- Prince
George's County, MD
- Genesee County, MI
- Kansas City, MO
- Saint Paul, MN
- Aberdeen, MS
- Buncombe County, NC
- Lincoln, NE
- Plainfield, NJ
- Albuquerque, NM
- New York,
NY
- Columbus, OH
- Portland, OR
- Philadelphia, PA
- Greenville, SC
- Brownsville, TN
- Austin, TX
- Houston,
TX
- Richmond, VA
- Des Moines, WA
- Madison, WI
- West
Bend, WI
To learn more, contact Jimmy
O'Connor.