Hunger doesn’t take a vacation when schools let out. That’s why the USDA’s Summer Food Service Program is vitally important to helping combat food insecurity in Worcester.
One of our favorite #FoodChampions is at the DNC this week, but Rep. Jim McGovern hasn’t let the politicking stop him from reaching out and learning about how Philly area organizations are fighting hunger. Here he is this morning, visiting a Philadelphia food bank to learn how the Summer Food Service Program is making a difference there. Like us, he understands that hunger doesn’t take vacations. Rep. McGovern has been a powerful ally in supporting legislation that helps ease food insecurity and ensures that all of our kids have sufficient health, nutritious food available to them year-round.
Because many low-income families rely on school lunch programs to help stretch the family food budget and reduce insecurity, summer can be a very hungry time. According to the USDA:
… the (summer meals) program is important because children who have access to subsidized meals during the school year lose that access in the summer. During the year, the USDA subsidizes lunch for 22 million income-eligible students. Fewer than four million children get subsidized food during the summer.
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Audrey Rowe, Food and Nutrition Service administrator, USDA (MassLive, May 2016)
That’s a huge gap between the number of kids eligible for free meals – which also qualifies them for free summer meals – and those who actually receive them.
Because Worcester has been enrolled in the universal free meals program, which provides free lunch for all children who attend Worcester Public Schools, regardless of income, many of the sites providing free meals in Worcester also provide free meals for all children.
Not sure where to access Summer Meals in Worcester? You can enter your address into the Site Finder at the USDA Summer Food Rocks to get up to 50 of the closest sites offering free summer meals for kids. Here’s what that looks like if you enter the address of Worcester City Hall:
And to make it a little easier for you – here’s a PDF of the entire list of sites that have programs with free summer for kids in Worcester.
