(Philadelphia, PA) June 12, 2012 – As many families throughout Pennsylvania and nationwide struggle to rebound from the recession, participation in the Summer Nutrition Programs continues to fall short.
According to a new report, Hunger Doesn’t Take a Vacation, an annual analysis by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), Pennsylvania served 119,195 children summer meals on an average day in July 2011, reaching just 21.5 percent of low-income children who participated in the National School Lunch program (NSLP) during the 2010-11 school year. Nationally, only 14.6 percent of low-income children participating in NSLP during the regular school year received summer meals.
The overall number of Pennsylvania children participating in Summer Nutrition Programs fell by 7.6 percent from July 2010 to July 2011.
“When districts scale back summer school programs or shut their doors, children wind up paying the price since these kids are still hungry when school lets out.” says Kathy Fisher, Director of Family Economic Security for Public Citizens for Children and Youth. “Pennsylvania is failing to meet the needs of low-income children.”
The FRAC report examines participation in both the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and summer participation in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). (To avoid the administrative burden of switching to a separate program, schools have the option of continuing NSLP during the summer months.)
Pennsylvania’s decreased participation last year resulted from a drop in the number of children served by NSLP during the summer: Summer participation in NSLP dropped nearly 20 percent, from 50,405 children served in July 2010 to 40,543 in July 2011, while participation in SFSP remained steady with 78,541 children served in July 2010 and 78,651 in July 2011 (0.1 percent increase).
“We are concerned fewer children will have access to meals this summer as well,” Fisher says, adding that as Pennsylvania legislators continue to debate the final details of the state budget, they should consider these findings. “Inadequate funding for schools affects more than just education, but also child nutrition and health. Many school districts have had to cut summer school and youth programs, which means fewer children have access to summer meals.”
Designed to fill the food gap when school is out, the Summer Nutrition Programs fight hunger and contribute to better nutrition for children. Low participation means missed meals for children and missed federal dollars for the state. Were Pennsylvania able to provide summer meals to just 40 percent of the children provided school lunch during the regular school year, according to the report, the Commonwealth would have fed 102,141 more children every day in July 2011, and brought in $6,613,635 additional federal dollars.
“There is an opportunity for everyone to make a difference in participation and ensure that more children can access summer meals,” says Jim Weill, president of the Food Research and Action Center. “Children cannot continue to bear the burden of budget cuts. It is in everyone’s best interest to ensure that children have adequate nutrition during the summer so they stay healthy and are ready to learn.”
Area families can find nearby summer meal sites through one of PCCY’s partners in fighting childhood hunger. Beginning June 18th, the Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger will have information available on its toll-free hotline at 1-855-252-MEAL, and, on a searchable map on its website at: www.hungercoalition.org.
About the report: Pennsylvania data is compiled from an annual report released by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), a national anti-hunger advocacy and research group. The FRAC report, Hunger Doesn’t Take a Vacation, (http://frac.org/pdf/2012_summer_nutrition_report.pdf) presents data for all states and examines at national trends. FRAC measures national summer participation during the month of July, when typically all children are out of school throughout the month and lose access to school meals.
PCCY’s Summer Feeding Program page (https://www.childrenfirstpa.org/?page=SummerFeedingProgram__177) has plenty of links to resources for PA’s Summer Food Service Program.
Link to video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=da05V3n2DZI) of SFSP Supervisor Terry Roden, explaining how Pennsylvania’s program works.