For many students and families, the end of the school year also signals the end of access to school-provided free and reduced price meals.
The Food Bank of Eastern Michigan helps fill this gap by providing healthy meals at our summer feeding sites throughout Genesee, Gladwin, Saginaw, and Lapeer counties. Our Summer Food Service Program, funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and administered by the Michigan Department of Education (MDE), 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. More than 21 million children receive free and reduced-price meals during the school year, but only 17% of these children participate in the Summer Food Service Program.
Every summer, the Food Bank partners with 40-60 feeding sites to help keep young people nourished and healthy. As a sponsor of the USDA’s Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), the Food Bank distributes more than 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.
We don’t stop there—the Food Bank also strives to provide healthy snacks in our Summer Take Home Nutrition Nags. They are offered at every site and are for children to take home and enjoy over the weekend. The bags contain pre-cut vegetables, fresh fruit, granola bars, milk, and 100% juice. Since the program’s inception in 2011, the Food Bank has distributed more than 75,000 nutrition bags.
Donate to the Food Bank! Every dollar you donate can be leveraged to purchase about 14 dollars-worth of food children struggling with hunger.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
For more information please contact James Stefanski at (810) 396-0247