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 On hand for the meeting were representatives from Boy Scout Troop
4111, Faith Assembly of God and St. John United Church of Christ.
Also on hand was Genevieve Dejean of Congressman Aaron Schock’s
office.
Presenting the hour-long talk about the summer food program were Amy
Bianco of the ISBE and Suzy Lee of the "No Kid Hungry" project.
Binaco opened the meeting talking about why the ISBE is reaching out
to Logan County. According to Bianco there are no summer meal
opportunities in Logan County for children. At the same time there
is a large population of children in the county who qualify for free
or reduced-cost meals at school. During the summer when school is
not in session, these same children are at risk of not getting the
proper nutrition.
When children are out of school, low-income parents have the added
financial burden of providing meals for their kids. In many cases
what they can provide in their budgets is not sufficient for the
health and wellbeing of their children.
The summer food program can help fill the nutrition gap by offering
free meals and snacks to at-risk children under the age of 18.
Children can qualify for the lunch program through information
received from local schools, or through income eligibility
applications. There is also an internet program available that can
help determine eligibility and preferred locations for sites
according to the income levels of the population in that area.
There is a variety of means by which local organizations can provide
meals for children. Bianco said the program is very flexible and can
include daily meal sites, day camp programs, or periodical meal
programs. She explained that the participating organization can
decide if they will serve meals a few days a week or seven days a
week. Also, organizations can incorporate the meal program into
their short-term programs, such as weeklong camps. The primary
requirement for serving dates is that the meals must be provided
during the summer months when kids are on school vacation.
Qualifying organizations that are invited to participate in the
program include any 501(c)3 not for profit that is capable of
administering and providing food service, or any church that has a
tax-exempt status filed with the state.
Participating organizations become the meal sponsors and have
options on how the meals are provided. If the organization or church
has a kitchen, they may prepare the meals themselves. The other
option is to contract with a food service provided.
There are a several types of meals sites that can be utilized in the
program. Bianco said meal sites could be churches, schools, public
meeting places such as library or community centers or even in
public parks.
She said that in the case of public parks, the sponsor would need to
determine how it would address inclement weather. The meal day could
be canceled for weather, or the sponsor could provide an alternate
locations.
The primary restriction regarding meal sites is that the site cannot
be at a private residence.
The sponsor is responsible for maintaining quality service in a safe
environment, and doing the administrative paperwork needed for food
cost reimbursement.
Qualifying children can include any child under the age of 18, and
in some cases older children if they are over 18 and enrolled in
school programs for persons with disabilities.
 Sponsors may
receive reimbursement for two meals per day. Qualifying meals
include breakfast and a mid-day snack, lunch and a snack, breakfast
and lunch, or supper and a snack. The only combination that does not
qualify is lunch and supper.
Sponsors are also responsible for menu planning and have to create
an 11-day menu cycle, meaning the menu must have 11 days of unique
dishes, and then the menu can be repeated. Meal requirements include
two ounces of meat, one service of bread or grain, two three-quarter
cup servings of a fruit or vegetable and eight ounces of milk.
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Meal reimbursement will run in general about $3.64 per child
per day. Sponsors are to keep track of children served, and
submit requests for reimbursement. The reimbursement amount can
be used for food purchase as well as administrative costs such
as kitchen workers and supervisors.
If an organization wants to become a summer food provider,
Bianco said the ISBE in conjunction with the United States
Department of Agriculture will provide a training workshop that
will get into greater detail about acceptable food products that
can be served, and the paperwork involved in administering the
program.
Suzy Lee is with the No Kid Hungry Program. She spoke second at
the one-hour presentation. She began by sharing that there are
661,000 children in Illinois who are “food-insecure.” She said
in many cases, these children do worry about where they will get
their next meal. She noted when children’s minds are occupied on
when and where they will eat again, then they are not thinking
about things kids should be thinking about, like playing with
friends and having fun.
She also noted that for low-income families, the added burden of
providing food for children in the summer comes to about $316
per month. She said that when they are living on a limited
number of dollars and have to pay rent and other bills, this
added burden can be too much for parents.
The No Kid Hungry program provides grant opportunities for
summer food sponsors. The money gained through a No Kid Hungry
grant can be used for program needs with the exception of
purchasing food. As an example, she said the money could be used
to provide a transportation program to the meal sites by paying
the cost of a bus or van rental and the wages of a driver.
Bianco and Lee also shared that the ISBE and USDA will provide
information and flyers to help draw in participants. They said
that sponsors could get free flyers that could be posted in
public locations and also get help with news releases and public
service announcements.
In addition, parents have a tool to help them find meal sites
through text messaging or via a meal service hotline. Using
either of these tools, parents can learn where and when meals
are being served in their area. Bianco also mentioned that as
the administrators would use this same notification system to
announce the days and hours of service, but also to report if
meal service has to be canceled for a day.
The ISBE and USDA have identified several counties in Illinois
that are not providing a summer meal program. Logan County is
one of them. Bianco said the goal of the ISBE and USDA is to see
to it that every county has a summer program. She said according
to the information provided through the Free and Reduced Lunches
Program, Logan County should have six meal sites in order to
provide for the needs of local children.
The ISBE is currently seeking sponsors for Logan County. The No
Kid Hungry grant applications are being taken through April.
Anyone who is interested in becoming a sponsor of the Summer
Food Program can learn more through the ISBE website: http://www.isbe.net/nutrition/htmls/summer.htm
Interested parties can also contact Bianco directly at abianco@isbe.net
or 800-545-7892.
Information about the No Kid Hungry Program is available at
www.nokidhungry.org. Suzy Lee of the No Kid Hungry Grant Program
can be reached at slee@gcfd.org.
[Nila Smith]
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