Summer Mini Grants
Posted by Lindsay McQuaid on Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Summer is in full swing here at Share Our Strength! And thanks to the USDA’s Summer Food Service Program, millions of children are enjoying free meals to keep them healthy and energized to play and grow. A few weeks ago, my colleague Susan wrote about Share Our Strength’s mini-grants to support summer meals programs in our No Kid Hungry Campaign states. For those of you curious to know where our grants are going on a local level, check out the snapshots of each NKH Campaign state:
New Mexico
Share Our Strength and No Kid Hungry New Mexico made 10 grants to local non-profits to support summer meals programs throughout the state. New Mexico presents a unique challenge to summer food service providers due to the rural environment where many children live. We stepped in to help by providing funds for transportation – bringing meals to children or bussing the children to meals sites. At the Clayton Schools Summer Fun Program, Share Our Strength funds helped hire a bus driver to transport the children to and from the elementary school for a free hot breakfast and lunch.
Arkansas
Share Our Strength and No Kid Hungry Arkansas granted to 15 organizations this summer. Arkansas is another state that struggles to reach children in need due to lack of transportation available to get them to a summer meals site. Neighborhood Community Outreach, in Magnolia, is using grant funds to increase participation by picking up children from rural and low-income areas and doing outreach to parents in these communities to make them aware of the availability of free meals.
New Orleans
In New Orleans, five grants were made to support summer meals programs through No Kid Hungry New Orleans. Most of the organizations we supported needed some extra funds to cover the costs of equipment, such as coolers, and extra staff to serve meals to the children. Restoration Outreach Community Development Corporation in Marrerro used their grant funds to purchase fuel, cooking utensils, pans, warmers, a freezer, and a stove. These items are critical to the functioning of their kitchen and allow the organization to feed more children.
Washington DC
Share Our Strength and the Partnership to End Childhood Hunger in the Nation’s Capital are proud to support 13 of Washington D.C.’s stand-out summer meals programs. Many children in D.C., as well as throughout the country, depend on the Summer Food Service Program to replace the free lunch they usually receive at school. D.C. Central Kitchen supplies food to over 2,000 children during the summer at multiple sites. The funding from Share Our Strength helps improve the nutritional quality of the meals through the purchase of milk and fresh fruits and vegetables.
Texas
No Kid Hungry Texas and Share Our Strength made 10 grants to non-profits throughout the state of Texas. The combination of increased need and efforts to increase participation create more demand on the staff of summer meals sites. Share Our Strength funds help support staff salaries and expansion of food preparation areas. The Stewpot of First Presbyterian Church in Dallas provides summer meals to a high need population in a neighborhood where 95% of the children receive free and reduced price lunch. Our mini-grant provides the additional funds needed to sufficiently staff their kitchen to feed the increasing number of children.
Colorado
Share Our Strength and the Campaign to End Childhood Hunger in Colorado provided 13 grants to support local summer meals programs. Many of our grantees requested funds to expand the number of sites, and thus the number of children they serve throughout the summer. Care and Share, Inc. is opening six new sites to serve 210 children for twelve weeks, thanks to funds to cover the costs of transportation and food.
Maryland
The Partnership to End Childhood Hunger in Maryland and Share Our Strength are excited about the unique programs throughout the state to feed hungry children. We made 19 grants total in both the Baltimore City area and throughout the state. The Lifestyles of Maryland Foundation is using their grant to serve children in Charles County with a mobile meals program. The program delivers meals to an average of 200 children a day, right in their neighborhoods.
Washington
In the state of Washington, Share Our Strength and End Childhood Hunger Washington supported 5 local organizations offering summer meals programs. One of our grantees, St. Leo’s Food Connection, works in Pierce and Skagit Counties to bring summer meals directly to the housing complexes where low-income children live. The grant provides funds to hire parents to supervise the meals sites, which provides the extra benefit of employment while providing healthy meals to kids who would otherwise go hungry.
Georgia
We are excited to partner with Georgia Food Bank Association Feeding for a Promising Future Campaign: No Kid Hungry to provide 13 grants throughout Georgia. Grant funds allow Neighborhood Enterprises in Macon and Glascock Action Partners in Gibson to purchase the necessary equipment, like refrigerators, coolers, and shelves, to provide summer meals to children in their communities.
Virginia
Share Our Strength and the Virginia No Kid Hungry Campaign made grants to 8 organizations throughout the state to support summer meals. Chesapeake Public Schools School Nutrition Services are opening a new site to serve the high need areas in South Norfolk who attend summer school and live in the neighborhoods nearby. Grant funds will support outreach activities, nutrition education programming, along with food and supplies.
June 28, 2011 | 0 comment(s) | Tags: grants, no kid hungry
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