NEW YORK—Summertime may mean hunger for some New York City children. During the school year, children have access to free or low-cost food programs in schools. In the summer, however, getting access to nutritious food can be harder.
Over 1000 sites offering free meals for children under 18 will operate in New York City throughout the summer. The initiative, part of the Federal Summer Food Service Program, is a result of collective efforts of city agencies, nonprofits, and other civic organizations.
Seven million meals were served last year. In an effort to exceed that number this season, Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott announced on Wednesday, in front of a captive audience of summer-school first graders at P.S. 20 in Chinatown, a citywide campaign to promote the program.
“What time is breakfast served?” Walcott quizzed the hesitant students.
“In the morning,” replied one, breaking a long silence.
“[At] 8:30?” guessed another. The right answer was finally extracted after Walcott suggestively pointed at a nearby banner.
Free breakfast and lunch meals will be served until Sept. 2 across the five boroughs—at swimming pools, schools, libraries, parks, public housing sites, and soup kitchens. Children do not have to show an ID or to be registered in order to get the free meal.
A wide range of nonprofits have contributed to raise awareness of the program. Organizations such as Share Our Strength, The New York Coalition Against Hunger, and others lent a hand by printing promotional materials and producing public service announcements. Two mobile food trucks, purchased with a $250,000 grant from Walmart, will also increase the program’s reach.
“This is part of the city’s ongoing commitment to feed our children healthy meals year round. To get the word out, we are launching a citywide effort,” Walcott said at the press conference. A day of outreach will be held on July 16. Volunteers will distribute promotional materials in key locations throughout the city. “It is a great, great program. We anticipate feeding more children,” Walcott added.
“Children need good meals in order to thrive,” said Jordan Brakcett, vice coordinator for food policy at the mayor’s office. “During the school year, our hard-working partners ... make sure our children have access to healthy and delicious meals. The need for healthy food does not go away during summer vacation. We want children to take advantage of this great program.”
Nearly 1.4 million New Yorkers—with 400,000 children among them—suffer from food insecurity, according to statistics from the New York Coalition Against hunger. In addition, one in every five children lives in a home with not enough food. Emergency food providers reported a 20.8-percent rise in demand for their services in 2009, especially among families with children, said the coalition.
Some sites that operated last year have been closed, but according to Walcott, this will not hamper the program’s efficiency. “It is being strategic. We took a look at the sites that did not have a high intake, and we made sure those sites are next to other sites like schools. We wanted to maximize resources in those sites where we had a high number of people,” he said.
“It is not about the sites, it is about the number of children we feed,” Walcott emphasized.
Over 1000 sites offering free meals for children under 18 will operate in New York City throughout the summer. The initiative, part of the Federal Summer Food Service Program, is a result of collective efforts of city agencies, nonprofits, and other civic organizations.
Seven million meals were served last year. In an effort to exceed that number this season, Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott announced on Wednesday, in front of a captive audience of summer-school first graders at P.S. 20 in Chinatown, a citywide campaign to promote the program.
“What time is breakfast served?” Walcott quizzed the hesitant students.
“In the morning,” replied one, breaking a long silence.
“[At] 8:30?” guessed another. The right answer was finally extracted after Walcott suggestively pointed at a nearby banner.
Free breakfast and lunch meals will be served until Sept. 2 across the five boroughs—at swimming pools, schools, libraries, parks, public housing sites, and soup kitchens. Children do not have to show an ID or to be registered in order to get the free meal.
A wide range of nonprofits have contributed to raise awareness of the program. Organizations such as Share Our Strength, The New York Coalition Against Hunger, and others lent a hand by printing promotional materials and producing public service announcements. Two mobile food trucks, purchased with a $250,000 grant from Walmart, will also increase the program’s reach.
“This is part of the city’s ongoing commitment to feed our children healthy meals year round. To get the word out, we are launching a citywide effort,” Walcott said at the press conference. A day of outreach will be held on July 16. Volunteers will distribute promotional materials in key locations throughout the city. “It is a great, great program. We anticipate feeding more children,” Walcott added.
“Children need good meals in order to thrive,” said Jordan Brakcett, vice coordinator for food policy at the mayor’s office. “During the school year, our hard-working partners ... make sure our children have access to healthy and delicious meals. The need for healthy food does not go away during summer vacation. We want children to take advantage of this great program.”
Nearly 1.4 million New Yorkers—with 400,000 children among them—suffer from food insecurity, according to statistics from the New York Coalition Against hunger. In addition, one in every five children lives in a home with not enough food. Emergency food providers reported a 20.8-percent rise in demand for their services in 2009, especially among families with children, said the coalition.
Some sites that operated last year have been closed, but according to Walcott, this will not hamper the program’s efficiency. “It is being strategic. We took a look at the sites that did not have a high intake, and we made sure those sites are next to other sites like schools. We wanted to maximize resources in those sites where we had a high number of people,” he said.
“It is not about the sites, it is about the number of children we feed,” Walcott emphasized.
