For many kids, the meals they receive at school through free and reduced price lunch programs are instrumental in ensuring they get adequate nutrition for their growth and development as well as enough food to fill their bellies. Outside of school, however, many do not know when their next meal will be, where it will come from, or how they will get it.
This summer, we’re eliminating that concern for 300 kids a day. We have partnered with the Raleigh Parks & Recreation Department to provide breakfast, lunch, and snacks for 300 kids a day at 7 sites in the City of Raleigh all throughout the summer, free of charge. Fueled with food, the kids we feed through this program can enjoy summer more fully. Their parents do not have to worry about finding extra resources to cover the meals provided by schools during the academic year.
The kids are all enrolled in summer camps through Raleigh Parks & Recreation. They're providing a fun summer experience for kids who may not otherwise be able to attend summer camp, and we're providing the food. We deliver hot lunches each day to the community centers where the camps are held, including Chavis Center, Worthdale Center, Raleigh Campbell Center, Sanderford Road Center, Sgt. Courtney Johnston Center, and Peach Road Center. In the lobby of Worthdale Center hangs a sign that reads "Kids Eat Here Free."
All the meals conform to federal guidelines for nutritionally balanced meals and are prepared by trainees and graduates of our Culinary Job Training Program.The meal of the day this past Monday: Mexican lasagna, cut pineapple, and salad. Mondays the trucks are also particularly full, bringing bags full of nutritious snacks and breakfast items for the kids to take home for the rest of the week in addition to that day’s lunch.
This is all part of Hunger-Free Summer, a program sponsored in part by ConAgra through Feeding America. It is only by working together that we can truly create a hunger-free community. To learn more about our Children’s Hunger Relief Programs, visit our website: http://foodshuttle.org/we-feed/childrens-hunger-relief/