Latest news with #SummerFoodServiceProgram
Chicago Tribune
15-06-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
SUN Meals answer summer hunger pangs
The kids sat at picnic tables at New Chicago's Twin Oaks Park Thursday munching on ham and cheddar submarine sandwiches provided by the food service department at the River Forest Community School Corp. 'They love it,' Britney Bansley said of her three children, Joshua Smith, 8, Cephas Smith, 6, and Evalynn Smith, 4. 'This my first time here because I have a random day off. My babysitter has been bringing them.' Bansley said she likes the program also because if the kids don't finish their meals, they're able to bring them home to eat later. River Forest is one of dozens of Northwest Indiana school districts and charter schools taking part in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's SUN Meals, a free summer nutrition program for children 18-and-under. 'Our kids really need it,' said River Forest food service director Nick Alessandri. 'Thirty-five is a pretty good turnout,' he said of Thursday's attendance at Twin Oaks. 'I definitely think the program is necessary.' Throughout the U.S., various sites, including schools, parks, libraries, and others offer free lunches while school is out to make sure children receive nutritious options. Formerly known as the Summer Food Service Program, it's been around for decades and received a menu update last year by the Biden administration with SUN Meals, SUN Meals To-GO and the new SUN Bucks program. This year, Indiana opted out of the second-year SUN Bucks program, which provides needy families in the Electronic Benefits Transfer program (EBT) with a grocery benefit of $120 per eligible school child. Indiana joined the program last year under former Gov. Eric Holcomb, but officials in the Braun administration blamed Holcomb's administration for insufficient planning and funding preparations leaving it unable to fulfill the program's requirements. The SUN Meals program, however, remains unaffected throughout the state. The Twin Oaks Park site is one five sites served by River Forest schools, said Superintendent Kevin Trezak. Twin Oaks is the lone one with a learning component, said New Chicago Park Board vice president Morgan McCabe. On Thursday, the children watched Patricia Riley-Churilla teach common American Sign Language phrases such as family and mother. They also have speakers from the New Chicago-Lake Station Public Library and the Shirley Heinze Land Trust. The kids craft art projects on Mondays and last year, they painted park benches, McCabe said. Trezak said the three offsites together are averaging about 85 kids a day. 'These are great numbers for us since the offsite spots are aimed to serve those with transportation needs,' he said. Northwest Indiana is home to multiple free school lunch sites from East Chicago to LaPorte. To find a site, see:
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Free summer meals available for teens and children
Jun. 13—Free meals are available to youths 18 and under in Flathead County over the summer months when school is not in session. Meals will be served at sites in Columbia Falls, Evergreen, Hungry Horse, Kalispell, Martin City, Somers-Lakeside and Whitefish. No registration, proof of income or identification is required to participate and all children and teens are welcome at any site. The Summer Food Service Program works to ensure that youth from low-income families and neighborhoods get nutritious meals when school is out for summer break. School districts receive federal and state reimbursement based on the number of meals served. Below is a list of locations, dates and times meals will be served. Columbia Falls, Hungry Horse, Martin City and Coram Breakfast and lunch will be served Tuesdays, starting June 24, in Hungry Horse, Martin City and Coram. On Wednesdays, meals will be served in Columbia Falls. Five breakfasts and five lunches will be provided to each child at a time, and the district requests that parents or guardians pick up the meals. Delivery may be available in some rural areas. For more information call Columbia Falls School District Food Service Department Director Laurie Lunghuhn at 892-6540 extension 2005. Tuesdays, June 24, July 8, 15, 22 and 29 and Aug. 5 and 12 9 to 10 a.m., Hungry Horse Park, U.S. 2 E., Hungry Horse. 10:15 to 11:15 a.m., Canyon School, 200 N. St., Hungry Horse. 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., Martin City Fire Department, 320 Central Ave., Martin City. 12:30 to 1:15 p.m., Coram Post Office parking lot, 10055 U.S. 2 E., Coram. Wednesdays, June 25, July 9, 16, 23 and 30 and Aug. 6 and 13 8 to 9 a.m., Columbia Falls High School, 610 13th St. W. 9:15 to 9:40 a.m., Ruder Elementary, 1500 12th Ave. W. 10 to 11 a.m., Glacier Gateway School, 440 Fourth Ave. W. 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., River's Edge Park, 501 Fourth Ave. E. Evergreen and Kalispell Kalispell Public Schools will distribute free breakfasts and lunches on weekdays from June 16 through Aug. 15. No meals will be served on July 4. All breakfasts are served with fruit and milk. All lunches are served with fruit, vegetables and milk. For more information call Kalispell Public Schools Food Services Department at 751-3400 extension 3443 or 3646. White van 11 to 11:15 a.m., Hawthorne Park on Hawthorne Avenue. 11:25 to 11:40 a.m., Empire Estates off Three Mile on Empire Loop. 11:50 a.m. to 12:05 p.m., Northridge Park on Northridge Drive. 12:35 to 12:55 p.m., Russell Elementary School, 227 W. Nevada St. White food truck 11 to 11:15 a.m., Evergreen Jr. High, 20 W. Evergreen Dr. 11:25 to 11:40 a.m., Hedges Elementary School, 827 Fourth Ave. E. 11:50 a.m. to 12:05 p.m., Begg Park, 57 Begg Park Dr. 12:15 to 12:30 p.m., Elrod Elementary School, 412 Third Ave. W. 12:35 to 12:55 p.m., Peterson Elementary School, 1119 Second St W., at Meridian Park. Red food truck 11:15 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Logan Fitness Center, west end of the parking lot. Somers and Lakeside Breakfast and lunch will be served weekdays, with one exception, through Aug. 15. No meals will be served on June 23-27 or July 4. For more information call Somers-Lakeside School District Food Service Director Robin Crosby at 249-7313 or email 11 to 11:30 a.m., Somers Middle School, 315 School Addition Road, Somers. 11:50 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Lakeside Elementary, 255 Adams St., Lakeside. 1:05 to 1:15 p.m. on Mondays only, Corner of Blacktail and Tamarack Woods Drive in Lakeside (pre-ordered bulk meal pick-up site). Whitefish Meals will be served weekdays, June 16 through Aug. 20. Meals will not be served June 23, 24 and 25 and July 4. Weekend bags will be handed out on Fridays. For more information, call Whitefish Food Service Director Dannel Flanagin at 862-8620 extension 249. 10:40 to 11:15 a.m. City Beach, Lakeside Boulevard. 10:40 to 11:15 a.m. Olney-Bissell School, 5955 Farm to Market Road 10:45 to 11:05 a.m., Forest Acres, 4870 U.S. 93. 11:20 to 11:45 a.m., Skate Park, 290 Armory Road. Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 748-4431 or hmatheson@
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Hunger doesn't take a break': Summer food programs for families in need now available
PORTLAND, Ore. () — Oregon families who receive free student meals during the school year have resources available to ensure food security throughout the summer. According to , 94% of the state's public schools currently offer free meals to all students. The nonprofit helped secure new state funding to expand the free school meal program. Despite this, the nonprofit said there are still tens of thousands of children who don't have access to these programs. As the school year comes to a close, families who already get free school lunches may be wondering how they'll keep their children fed. 'Every student deserves to know where their next meal comes from,' said Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon Policy Advocate David Wieland. 'Hunger doesn't take a break during the summer.' Fortunately, there are options for families. Esquire names Portland bar among best in the US in 2025 The Oregon Department of Education has about its Summer Food Service Program, where families can locate hundreds of free meal sites across the state. In addition, for the second summer in a row, the Oregon Department of Human Services is offering its . The grocery benefit program helps families buy food for their school-aged children when school is out. The single yearly payment provides $120 for each eligible child to buy groceries. According to the , over 340,000 eligible children already automatically received the Summer EBT back in May, though some families still need to apply. The state said they expect up to 370,000 school-aged children will be provided with the Summer EBT benefits this year. The program costs the state about $2.5 million in administrative costs. In return, Oregon receives $40 million in federal funding that goes directly to students. Despite this, Wieland said the work to combat hunger is not over. Lyft pushes back against ride fee hikes in Portland Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon are hoping state legislators pass a bill to extend free breakfast and lunch to all students in Oregon. The Oregon House of Representatives unanimously passed HB 3435 back in March. It is now in the Joint Ways and Means Committee. 'If you want to call your legislator and urge them to make this a priority, we'd love that,' Wieland said. People who are already signed up to receive SNAP, TANFF or OHP benefits should already see those summer grocery benefits on their account. If not, the State of Oregon has on how to apply. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Summer meals available for Oregon youth across nearly 700 sites
Kindergarteners at Durham Elementary School in Tigard eat a free lunch on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. (Ben Botkin/Oregon Capital Chronicle) Oregon youth ages 1 to 18 can receive free summer meals at schools, libraries, parks and community centers as the Summer Food Service Program begins for the season. Nearly 700 sites across Oregon are participating in the summer meals program, and many have already begun serving a mix of breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Some sites will begin serving meals later this month and continue into July or August. Roughly 1.43 million meals in Oregon were served in summer 2024, according to Oregon Department of Education spokesperson Peter Rudy. The program is mostly federally funded, but Oregon pays an additional five cents for every meal served, he said. Each site has designated meal times, with some offering a to-go option, games and reading activities. Meals are open to all families without paperwork, income verification and regardless of immigration status. To find a meal site, call 2-1-1 or go to the USDA's Summer Meals Site Finder. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Franklin schools summer feeding program to start in late June
FRANKLIN, Va. (WAVY) – Franklin City Public Schools announced Friday, June 6, they will participate in the Summer Food Service Program, which provides meals to children under 18 regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, disability or age. The announcement further emphasizes that there will be no discrimination when it comes to food service and meals are on a first-come, first-serve basis. The meals will be given out at two different sites, S.P. Morton Elementary School and Franklin High School, and children are required to stay onsite while eating their meals. Both schools will be giving out meals Monday – Thursday, but times and dates differ for when the meals are available. Franklin High School Available dates June 23 – July 31, 2025; Aug. 4 – Aug. 14, 2025 Summer School Breakfast 7:45 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. Community Breakfast 8:45 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. Summer School Lunch 11:10 a.m. – 11:55 a.m. Community Lunch 12:00 p.m. – 12:45 p.m. S.P. Morton Elementary School Available dates July 1 – July 31, 2025 Summer School Breakfast 8:45 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. Community Breakfast 9:30 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. Community Lunch 11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Summer School Lunch 12:15 p.m. – 1 p.m. Both schools ask that you enter through the front of the building. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
