Published: June 16, 2008 08:55 am      

Summer food program feeds children for free

Staff Report

MT. VERNON — With just a few weeks of summer vacation under way for school children, Gov. Rod Blagojevich and the Illinois State Board of Education are encouraging residents to participate in summer food programs.

Mt. Vernon District 80 and Bethel Grade School are just two of at least 26 schools or organizations offering free, nutritious meals and snacks through a summer food service program which is going on statewide.

“Here in Illinois, we are working together to make sure that no children go hungry this summer while schools are closed,” said Blagojevich.

Summer food programs work by providing free meals and snacks to low-income children through age 18 when school is not in session. People older than 18 who are enrolled in school programs for persons with disabilities may also participate. Summer food programs typically operate in June, July and August but can start as early as May and can go into September.

Other Jefferson County school-based summer food program sites include, Bluford Grade School, Farrington Grade School, Webber Township High School, Grand Prairie Grade School, Rome Grade School, Ina Grade School and Dodds Grade School, to name a few.

“Summer food programs fill an important role for both parents and children. As educators, we know that nutrition is a critical prerequisite to learning,” said state Superintendent of Education Christopher A. Koch. “However, learning does not stop when the school year ends, and neither does the need for a nutritious meal.”

Last summer, more than 100,000 low-income Illinois children ate free meals through both summer food programs. However, that’s only 15.3 percent of the roughly 653,000 children who ate free or reduced-priced meals during the 2006-2007 school year. Nationally, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that more than 17 million children received free or reduced-price school meals during the 2007 school year, but only 3.3 million children received summer meals.

ISBE administers two federally funded summer food programs — the USDA’s “Simplified Summer Food Service Program for Children” and the federal National School Lunch Program’s “Seamless Summer Option.” Both programs are designed to bridge the summer nutrition gap by offering free and nutritious breakfasts, lunches or snacks to children age 18 and younger.

In addition to this, more students younger than 18 in low-income areas will have greater access to summer food programs this summer, thanks to the new summer food mandate. Under Public Act 95-0155, signed by Blagojevich in August 2007, all schools where 50 percent or more of the student population is eligible for free or reduced-price meals that have a summer program must operate a summer breakfast and/or lunch program that is open to the community.

Because of the new mandate, school-based summer feeding sites open to the community have already significantly increased in 2008.

For more information on other Jefferson County summer food program sites, visit webprod1.isbe.net/NutSvc.