WHAT WILL KIDS EAT THIS SUMMER?

Summer’s here.

America's Second Harvest - The Nation's Food Bank Network

Will the children in your community have enough to eat?

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When summer vacation starts, more than 12 million children in America who live on the brink of hunger will lose the one place they can count on for a meal. The USDA’s Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) offers relief for hungry children when the school year ends. Unfortunately, it only reaches 2 million of America’s hungry children during the summer months. The Hunger Action Center supports the SFSP, and we’re pushing for expanded awareness and funding of this important program.

Under the SFSP, sponsors—such as food banks, schools, public agencies, camps, and other non-profits— receive reimbursement for the cost of providing two meals or snacks per day to children in need. You can learn more about the SFSP by listening to this NPR podcast. In it, Maura Daly of America’s Second Harvest joins Debbie Hammill, site director of Washington, D.C.’s Brooklyn Manor Housing Development, to talk about the issues driving seasonal child hunger.

Unfortunately, only 2 million children nationwide currently benefit from this program, which faces some key challenges:

Awareness. Many families simply don’t know the program exists in their communities.

Sponsorship. The SFSP needs more local organizations and volunteers to support summer food service locations in their communities.

Transportation. Many children who are eligible to participate have trouble getting to an SFSP location because they don’t have or can’t afford transportation.
Learn how the SFSP helps children in need.
Increasing awareness is the first important step.