Food that’s in, when school is out
The Summer Food Service Program, facilitated by the United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA), aims to fill that gap, providing children with free, healthy
meals during the summer months when school is not in session and when many
children often face missing meals and lack of proper nutrition.
Last year, more than 21 million children received free and reduced-price meals
during the school year, but only 2.3 million participated in the Summer Food
Service Program. In Michigan alone, over 421,000 children receive free or
reduced-price meals through the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs
(NSLP and NSBP).
During the summer, the Food Bank partners with over 50 feeding sites throughout
Genesee, Saginaw and Bay counties to help keep these young individuals nourished
and healthy. As a sponsor of the USDA’s Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), the
Food Bank is able to distribute nearly 80,000 meals through daily deliveries to
each location during the summer. Breakfast and lunch are provided daily by the
Food Bank, as well as kid friendly treats on our “Ice Cream Truck” like cake,
cookies, and ice-cream. But we don’t stop there—the Food Bank also strives to
provide healthy snacks in our “Summer Take-Home Nutrition” bags. We joined the
nationwide push for healthier eating by creating these bags. They are offered to
every site and are for children to take tome and enjoy over the weekend. The
bags contain precut veggies, fresh fruit, granola bars, milk and 100% juice.
Since its inception in 2011, the Food Bank has distributed over 70,000 nutrition bags.
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Our vision is that no child goes hungry and that they have a happy, healthy and
safe summer.