PROJECT BREAD SUPPORTS 'FOOD AND FUN' FOR BOSTON KIDS THIS SUMMER

Nearly $200,000 in statewide grants help families cope with the economic crisis

When school is out, kids who rely on free or reduced-price school meals need a safe place to go where they can have a healthy meal and some summer fun. That’s why Project Bread is giving $198,950 in incentive grants to local Summer Food Service Programs across the state with $23,150 of that earmarked for the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) Start Strong Building Healthy Relationships Initiative, the Wang YMCA of Chinatown, Community Servings, Boston Public Schools, Refuge and Relief Ministry (Dorchester), and the East Boston YMCA.

“It’s all part of an effort to help families cope with the economic crisis and keep their kids eating, growing, socializing, and learning,” said Project Bread Director Ellen Parker.

The Summer Food Service Program is funded by the USDA and administered by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. However, these programs need supplemental funds to expand and provide the kind of programming that really attracts local kids and keeps them coming over the summer. In Boston, Project Bread’s $23,150 can be used to acquire food storage and preparation equipment, sports or arts and crafts equipment, even books — whatever it takes to enrich the programming and increase the number of children a program serves.

“We are grateful to receive funding from Project Bread,” said Helen Mont-Ferguson, program director for Boston Public Schools. “With the grant, we were able to purchase an additional eight portable milk coolers to keep food cold and fresh at summer food sites across the City of Boston.” Summer Food Programs in Boston are expected to serve approximately 806,000 meals to Boston children this summer at more than 225 neighborhood meal sites.

Project Bread estimates that more than 51,000 low-income children across the state will benefit from these programs this year. “In these historically hard times, we want parents to take advantage of these free summer food and fun programs,” said Parker. “Some programs provide a breakfast and lunch, some a lunch and nutritious snack — each is a little different — but whatever the structure is, it definitely saves the family the cost of those meals, which can really add up over the course of the summer. Parents can then apply that savings to a healthy evening meal for the entire family.”

In addition, Community Servings was given a special grant to incorporate locally grown produce into the meals served at its summer sites. Community Servings will also continue to follow Project Bread’s “Better Summer Meals” guidelines, which feature fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and low fat dairy products in the summer menus.

“Helping low-income families gain access to nutritious food is fundamental to our mission,” said Parker. “Throughout the growing season, using locally grown produce is good for the farmers and great for our families. It introduces low-income children to fruits and vegetables that are at the height of their nutritional value and flavor.”

Programs typically start at the end of June and run through mid August. No registration is necessary and sites are open to all children age 18 and under. “We’re an antihunger organization that does not want to see kids sitting at home hungry and bored over the summer because school is out,” continued Parker. “So we’ve made an investment in bringing food and fun together in as many neighborhood programs as possible that provide a really helpful service to family life.”

Project Bread is providing a total of 63 summer grants, amounting to $198,950. The support is being given to a wide range of local organizations, including Boys and Girls Clubs, community centers, school- and playground-based programs, church programs, and YMCAs. Communities receiving Summer Food Service Program Incentive Grants from Project Bread include: Barnstable, Boston, Brockton, Cambridge, Cheshire, Everett, Fall River, Fitchburg, Framingham, Haverhill, Hyannis, Lawrence, Leominster, Lowell, Lynn, Malden, Medford, Methuen, New Bedford, Orange, Peabody, Pittsfield, Quincy, Randolph, Revere, Salem, Somerville, Springfield, Taunton, Turner’s Falls, Waltham, Wareham, Webster, Westfield, Woburn, and Worcester.

For a complete listing of locations, dates, and times, parents and guardians are urged to call Project Bread’s FoodSource Hotline at 1-800-645-8333 or visit www.meals4kids.org. New programs are forming in Boston right now. A complete list of programs will be released after July 1, 2009.

About Project Bread
As the state’s leading anti-hunger organization, Project Bread is dedicated to alleviating, preventing, and ultimately ending hunger in Massachusetts. Through The Walk for Hunger, the oldest continual pledge walk in the country, Project Bread provides millions of dollars each year in privately donated funds to 400 emergency food programs in 128 communities statewide. Project Bread also supports systematic solutions that prevent hunger in children and that provide food to families in natural, everyday settings. For more information, visit www.projectbread.org.

About the Summer Food Service Program
Meal reimbursement for the Summer Food Service Programs are federally funded through the USDA and administered by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. All meals are free to children 18 years and under without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, age, or handicap. No registration or sign-up is necessary. Project Bread’s goal is to increase the number of young people using these programs by providing grants that enable directors to set up new, convenient locations around town or improve the quality of food. Children who have access to nutritious meals throughout the summer return to school in the fall ready to learn. Project Bread’s hunger prevention work is supported by the Massachusetts Legislature.