By Sally Eliason, MSW, Child Nutrition Outreach, Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon/Oregon Hunger Task Force
Oregon’s hunger needs are well documented. One aspect of this tragedy that many are unaware of is the number of children who go hungry in the summer, when school is out, despite resources that exist. But the good news is you can help reverse this trend today.
Our organization, Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon (PHFO), reports that just 26 percent of Oregon children who relied on free and reduced price school lunches during the 2008-09 school year accessed summer feeding programs.
Did you know that approximately one in five children in Oregon are food insecure, meaning they have limited or uncertain access to safe and nutritious food? Over the past year 81% of all school districts across the state saw an increase in the number of children who qualified for free or reduced price meals. Families are relying on school meals more than ever, but what happens to these children during the summer?
The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) serves children healthy meals during the summer months when school is out. SFSP is federally funded and open to children and youth aged 1-18 years. There is no paperwork to fill out and all children are welcome.
Why is it so tough to reach kids during the summer? PHFO has been asking this question and working to expand participation in child nutrition programs, including SFSP and the After School Meal and Snack Program, for several years. But we can’t do it alone.
5 ways you can help children avoid hunger this summer:
- Help spread the word: Pass out flyers, include information in your newsletter or write an article.
- Volunteer at a meal site: As an individual or group, offer your time at a local summer food site.
- See if your organization would like to sponsor a meal site: Organizations that provide services to youth and have the capacity can administer a Summer Food Program. Lower-capacity organizations can host a meal site under the supervision of the site sponsor.
- Provide funding, equipment or enrichment materials to meet the needs of small or start-up sites.
- Advocate expanding the programs to all eligible areas. If nothing is currently available, work to recruit a sponsor and find an appropriate meal site
Though federal funds are available to reimburse organizations for meals served to hungry kids, it is often not enough to cover their costs, especially in rural areas. Schools and nonprofit organizations often end up subsidizing the program, leaving SFSP increasingly vulnerable to program budget cuts and closures.
PHFO has responded to 2010 Summer Food Program budget holes by awarding $121,000 to 53 organizations across the state, with the generous support of Providence Health Systems, Kaiser Permanente Foundation, Qwest and other donors. Funds will be used to purchase equipment, hire staff and cover transportation costs to enable programs to expand service to new neighborhoods and communities.
We are also working with local and national partners to urge members of the Oregon Congressional delegation to provide substantial and positive new investments in child nutrition programs, including $10 billion over 10 years in additional funding, through the current Child Nutrition Reauthorization.
Advocate for improving child nutrition programs: For opportunities and information visit -http://oregonhunger.org/federal-child-nutrition-reauthorization
To find a meal site near you, call 1-800-SAFENET (toll free) or visit www.SummerFoodOregon.org. This online resource has maps of summer food sites across the state, serving times and local contact information
For more information contact Sally Eliason, Child Nutrition Outreach Specialist at 503-595-5501 ext. 301 or Sally@oregonhunger.org.
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I live in Glide, OR. I am a Child Welfare caseworker. I personally took a Saturday and Sunday a month ago and walked through the neighborhoods of Glide: posting copies of the brochures on businesses, bulletin boards, and in churches with staff; talking with school district and luncheon site personnel; and then personally inviting and instructing parents and children door to door. The teachers and staff at the schools announced this program in early June and sent fliers home before schools were dismissed. The pastors talked about it from their pulpits. The store front managers talked it up with their customers. There are signs posted out on the highways and out fronnt of the schools in town. So, what went wrong in the rest of the state?
Dan Moseley
Social Service Specialist
Tons of kids can’t get to these lunches. During school year the bus picks them up to get the school/site of free lunch. Many families I work with are aware of it but can’t get there.
In Lebanon and Sweet Home, Oregon they just implemented a bus system to the local Boys and Girls Club over the summer. These sites usually have free lunch and sometimes breakfast or dinner. Parents pick children up from the club still though. I wonder what kind of results they will see from this new program.
Dan, and the community of Glide, is doing exactly what needs to be done to get more kids nutritious meals this summer. Thank you for taking time to be part of the solution and to get the word out about Summer Meals. The 2009 statewide participation rate can be improved and Glide School District has taken of one of the most important steps to increasing access to meals this summer, they opened a summer food site in partnership with Roseburg School District and other community supportrs! Until this summer, there has not been a Summer Food Service Program site in Glide, and we are thrilled that now kids in your community will be able to access the program.
There are still many communities and neighborhoods across Oregon that don’t have a summer food program, partially due to the costs that the meal reimbursement doesn’t cover. In many rural communities, the cost of transporting the food or children adds up, which is hard to handle with slim school and nonprofit budgets.