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Nutritious meals available to Maryland children this summer

SHARE OUR STRENGTH® AND THE PARTNERSHIP TO END CHILDHOOD HUNGER IN MARYLAND KICK-OFF STATEWIDE CAMPAIGN TO RAISE AWARENESS OF MARYLAND SUMMER MEAL SITES

WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 16, 2010)—During the school year, more than 328,000 children in Maryland are eligible to receive a free, nutritious lunch at school. When school is out however, these kids are at risk of hunger when they lose reliable access to nutritious school meals. The federal Summer Meals Program is designed to fill this gap, yet last year only one in four eligible kids in Maryland received a meal through this program.

Share Our Strength® and the Maryland Partnership to End Childhood Hunger, with leadership from Governor Martin O'Malley, have joined forces to mount an aggressive outreach campaign. The campaign is meant to close the hunger gap by raising awareness of free summer meals and where they can be accessed.

"Families who rely on the available free meals during the school year should know that they can also access nutritious meals during the summer months," said Bill Shore, Founder and Executive Director of Share Our Strength, the national organization ending childhood hunger in America. "A safety net exists in Maryland through summer meals sites and we encourage any families in the area who are struggling with hunger, even if it's for the first time, to take advantage of the nutritious meals that are provided for them this summer."

Research has shown that when kids go hungry they are sick more often, are more likely to be hospitalized, have behavioral difficulties and are less likely to perform in school, athletics and in social situations.

Parents and caregivers can find a local meal site in their community by calling the toll-free hotline, 1-877-731-9300 or visiting www.nokidhungrymd.org. Many counties have "open sites" where children can drop in with no need to register or qualify in order to participate.

Bilingual public awareness tools for the campaign included the distribution of 432,000 postcards dropped into kid's school backpacks, ads and posters on city buses and bus shelters, billboards, radio announcements, and [automated] phone calls.

"The Partnership pulls together agencies, corporations and nonprofits to work together to end childhood hunger," said Rosemary King Johnston, Executive Director of the Governor's Office for Children. "This summer we pooled every available resource and communication tool available to make sure that families in Maryland who need access to food this summer are able to connect their kids to meals."

To learn more about the program and find the location of the closest meal site, visit www.nokidhungrymd.org or call the toll-free hotline at 1-877-731-9300.

About Share Our Strength

Share Our Strength, a national nonprofit, is ending childhood hunger in America by connecting children with the nutritious food they need to lead healthy, active lives. Through its No Kid Hungry Campaign™--a national effort to end childhood hunger in America by 2015—Share Our Strength ensures children in need are enrolled in effective federal nutrition programs, invests in community organizations fighting hunger, teaches families how to cook healthy meals on a budget, and builds public-private partnerships to end hunger, both nationally and at the state level. Working closely with the culinary industry and relying on the strength of its volunteers, Share Our Strength hosts innovative culinary fundraising events and develops pioneering cause marketing campaigns that support No Kid Hungry. Visit www.Strength.org to get involved in the No Kid Hungry campaign.

About the Partnership to End Childhood Hunger in Maryland

Led by the Governor's Office for Children, the Partnership to End Childhood Hunger in Maryland is a strong and growing coalition of organizations and agencies working with stakeholders around the state to engage them in focused efforts to end childhood hunger. It is a public-private partnership that includes the USDA, the Maryland State Departments of Education, Human Resources, and Health and Mental Hygiene; the Maryland Food Bank, Advocates for Children and Youth, Maryland Hunger Solutions/Food Research and Action Center, Seedco; Sodexo, SHARE Food Network, Capital Area Food Bank, and representatives from the faith community. For more information about the Partnership, please visit www.nokidhungrymd.org or call 1-877-731-9300.

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