Event Shines Light On Summer Feeding For Children
Presenters to offer tips and guidance for those willing to host sites
Philadelphia, PA (March 15, 2013) — When spring turns to summer, some children go hungry. The lunch and breakfast programs on which many of them depend during rest of the year close, along with their schools for the summer.
To help fill the gap, Public Citizens for Children and Youth on Thursday, March 21, will sponsor “Fighting Childhood Hunger When School is Out: The Nuts and Bolts of Summer Feeding Programs,” from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., at the United Way Building in Center City.
The event, at 1709 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, is an information session for those interested in hosting a summer feeding site.
“Organizations can find out what they need to know” PCCY Family Economic Security Director Kathy Fisher offered. “They can connect with those at the federal, state and local level who can help walk them through each step of the process.”
During the school year, nationwide nearly 19 million low-income children receive free-or-reduced price lunches through the federally funded lunch program, the Food and Research Action Center states. But summer feeding programs reach just one in seven of those children.
“The nuts and Bolts of Summer Feeding Programs” will feature tips from local providers and presentations from PCCY’s partners in the effort, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), Nutritional Development Services of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, and Philadelphia Department of Parks and Recreation.
PCCY, the region’s leading children’s advocacy organization, is appealing to churches, community groups, social service agencies – any potential providers in low-income communities throughout the region, including those in suburbs where such programs are less likely to exist, but where child poverty has increased since the recession.
Child poverty in Pennsylvania rose by a statistically significant margin, going from 16 percent in 2007 to 20 percent in 2011, according to U.S. Census American Community Survey.
“The Nuts and Bolts of Summer Feeding Programs” is free, but attendees should RSVP to stacyk@childrenfirstpa.org or at 215-563-5848 x34.
#####