ISBE/USDA seeks local sponsors for Summer Food program for area youth

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[March 16, 2015]  LINCOLN - Tuesday afternoon the Illinois State Board of Education hosted an information meeting at the Oasis Senior Center in Lincoln to solicit help from local organizations in establishing a summer food program for Logan County youth.

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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