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July 24
Years of Continuous Growth Bring In More Federal Funds to Serve Hungry Children

The D.C. Free Summer Meals Program continues to lead the nation in providing healthy food to low-income children when school is out. In July 2006, 86 percent of eligible low-income children were served by the D.C. Free Summer Meals Program, according to Hunger Doesn’t Take a Vacation, the Food Research and Action Center’s (FRAC) latest look at participation in the summer food program. No state came close to this level in the reach of its program.

The summer food program is especially important for the thousands of low-income District children (and their families) who rely on school breakfast and lunch during the school year to help keep hunger at bay. Families with tight budgets find themselves especially strapped during the summer. Summer food programs make sure that children are surrounded by access to healthy food – even when school is out.

“The D.C. Free Summer Meals Program is a true success, and an excellent model of how strong outreach efforts can make sure that children don’t go hungry during the summer months,” said Alex Ashbrook, director of D.C. Hunger Solutions, a program of FRAC. “The continued growth of the summer nutrition program shows us that the District, led by the Office of the State Superintendent of Education, is committed to making this program available to more and more needy children.”

Last year, the District served more than 28,000 children daily during the month of July with the summer meals program, or 86 for every 100 reached during the school year with the free or reduced-price school lunch. According to the report, the national average for summer food participation reaches only 18 low-income children out of every 100 that receive school lunch.

Since 2002, the D.C. Free Summer Meals Program has doubled its reach. In 2002, only 14,848 District children participated in the program. With efforts to increase meal sites, reduce administrative burdens, conduct outreach to parents and children, and boost public awareness of the program, participation grew rapidly over the following years. As a result, more low-income children have access to healthy meals during the summer.

Read the Report at: http://www.frac.org/pdf/2007summer.pdf