The Texas Hunger Initiative San Angelo Regional Office and Boys & Girls Club are collaborating with a diverse group of partners to host a “Keep Summer Going” event of the Free Summer Meals program for kids and teens in the area. According to a press release from THI, the event will help connect area kids and teens to health and nutrition resources by raising awareness about the free Summer Meals program.
The event will be held on Thursday, July 7, and lunch will be served from 12:00 p.m to 1:00 pm. For the event, THI and its partners will hosting games, activities & educational programs at the Boys & Girls Club at 1802 Lillie. The activities will be offered until 2 p.m. Furthermore, Summer Meal sites will offer recreational activities as well as food.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) offers free summer meals to all kids and teens ages 18 and younger at approved meal sites. Unfortunately, however, only a small percentage of children who are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch during the school year participated in the free Summer Meals program last year. The “Keep Summer Going” event seeks to offer heightened promotion of and information about the Summer Meals program in order to increase participation, as well as to highlight the strong local leadership of community partners.
“For many kids, summertime means food, friends and fun,” said THI Child Hunger Outreach Specialist Betty Teston. “For families who count on school breakfast and lunch, however, the summer months can be stressful and family food budgets have to be stretched even further. During the summer, kids can also lose out on multiple months of learning and physical activity that they would normally get at school.”
Families can visit the summer food website, call 211, or text FOODTX to 877-877 to find the nearest meal site. For more about THI, check out San Angelo LIVE!'s article about Kids Eat FREE!
Program details:
o Meals are FREE to children and teens ages 18 and younger who come to a Summer Meals site
o Food served follows USDA nutrition guidelines and is paid for by the USDA
o Summer Meals sites are at schools, churches, community centers and other places that are safe for kids and teens to go to
o Many sites offer educational and recreational activities that kids of all ages can participate in so they can eat, hang out with friends and take part in activities offered
o Parents don’t need to apply to the program to get a free summer meal for their kids. They can just bring their child to a Summer Meals site in their community.
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