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Summer Food: Helping to End Childhood Hunger in Maryland Maryland Hunger Solutions www.mdhungersolutions.org

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Page 1: Maryland Summer Food

Summer Food: Helping to End Childhood Hunger in Maryland

Maryland Hunger Solutions

www.mdhungersolutions.org

Page 2: Maryland Summer Food

Roadmap for Today

• Role of summer food in Maryland

• Best practices

• Outreach strategies

• Resources

Page 3: Maryland Summer Food

Maryland Hunger Solutions

• Baltimore based anti-hunger organization • Project of the Food Research and Action

Center

Goals• Build awareness of hunger in MD • Increase participation in the Food Stamp

and Child Nutrition Programs. • Address food access issues.

Page 4: Maryland Summer Food

The Role of Summer Food

Page 5: Maryland Summer Food

There is a Need for Summer Food

• More than 35 million Americans live in households considered to be food insecure.

• More than 12 million of them are children

Page 6: Maryland Summer Food

Hunger Doesn’t Take a Vacation

Fact: Only 1 in 5 kids who receive free

or reduced price meals during the

school year continue to receive meals

during the summer.

Page 7: Maryland Summer Food

Continuous Access to Healthy Food

School Breakfast

School Lunch

Afterschool Snacks

Summer Meals

Page 8: Maryland Summer Food

Snacks and meals attract children to summer programs

Page 9: Maryland Summer Food

Help combat childhood obesity

Page 10: Maryland Summer Food

Best Practices

Page 11: Maryland Summer Food

Goal:

Provide children with

access to healthy food throughout

the year.

Page 12: Maryland Summer Food

You Can:

• Operate your summer food program

as long as possible during the summer.

• Operate as an “open site”.

• Serve the maximum number of meals.

Page 13: Maryland Summer Food

Goal: Provide children with healthy kid-friendly meals and snacks

Page 14: Maryland Summer Food

If kids don’t like it, they won’t eat it.

• Focus needs to be on nutritional content and

appeal

• This is particularly important for low-income children

Page 15: Maryland Summer Food

You Can:

• Write quality into your vendor specifications and hold your vendor accountable.

• Make sure the food you serve is healthy and kid-friendly.

• Use local produce when possible.

• Hold taste testings with the kids.

Page 16: Maryland Summer Food

Goal: Help combat the child obesity epidemic in Maryland.

3.

Page 17: Maryland Summer Food

Hunger and Obesity

• Obesity is a national epidemic

• It impacts people in every ethnic group

and every income level.

• The same child can struggle with both hunger and obesity.

Page 18: Maryland Summer Food

Study Finds Kids Gain Weight Over Summer

Kids gain more weight when school's outSchools do a better job at keeping students trim than parents, study

finds

INDIANAPOLIS - The nation’s schools — under fire for unhealthy schoollunches, well-stocked vending machines and phys-ed cuts — may actually do abetter job than parents in keeping children fit and trim.

A study found that 5- and 6-year-olds gained more weight over theSummer than during the school year, casting doubt on the assumptionthat kids are more active during summer vacation.

The findings don’t reveal what’s behind the out-of-school weight gain, but theresearchers speculate it’s because the summer months lack the structure ofthe school year with all its activities and daily comings and goings.

          

Page 19: Maryland Summer Food

You Can:

• Incorporate fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains into the meal patterns.

• Serve skim or low-fat milk.

• Offer physical activities.

• Include nutrition education.

Page 20: Maryland Summer Food

Nutrition Education

• Cooking classes

• Gardening

• Easy take home recipes

• Budgeting

• Field trips

Page 21: Maryland Summer Food

Goal: Sponsors will operate their Summer Food Program in the black.

Page 22: Maryland Summer Food

You Can:

• Serve both breakfast and lunch.

• Serve meals at times children are most

likely to participate.

• Be a sponsor for additional sites.

Page 23: Maryland Summer Food

You Can:

• Plan child-friendly menus

• Teach staff about the importance of accurate meal counts

• Access lower cost food and supplies through food banks

• Increase participation

at your site

Page 24: Maryland Summer Food

Outreach Strategies

Page 25: Maryland Summer Food

Get the Word Out

• P.S.A.s (radio and TV)

• Ads

• Neighborhood canvassing

• Phone banking

• 211 hotline

Page 26: Maryland Summer Food

Backpack Mail

• Send information home to parents through backpack mail

• At least 2 weeks before school ends

• If possible, list neighborhood specific information

Page 27: Maryland Summer Food

Advertise at the Site

• Post a banner or signs about Summer Food at the site.

• Highlight the entrance that people will use to access the site

• List all relevant information

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Hold a Kick-off Event

• Provide activities for the kids

• Invite:

• “Local celebrities”

• Public officials

• Members of Congress

• Media

• Goal= is to increase awareness

Page 31: Maryland Summer Food

Create Welcoming Environment

• Make sites as friendly and inviting as possible

• Welcome kids from the community if it is an open site

• Make sure that all staff at the site know about the meal program

Page 32: Maryland Summer Food

Work with Community Partners

• Schools

• Religious organizations

• Food banks and pantries

• Utility companies

• Local businesses

Page 33: Maryland Summer Food

Resources

Page 34: Maryland Summer Food
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Page 36: Maryland Summer Food

Summer Food Standards of Excellence

• Identify and promote quality summer food sites

• Increase the quality of food served and the site environment

• Increase participation

Page 37: Maryland Summer Food

You Can:

• Give the checklist to site supervisors for a self-evaluation.

• Challenge sites to meet the bronze, silver or gold level.

• Identify and honor quality summer food sites.

• Use it as a brainstorming list for your program.

Page 38: Maryland Summer Food

FRAC Navigation

Afterschool Funding

Afterschool Snacks Afterschool Suppers Summer Funding

Reimbursements

Model Programs •Afterschool Models •Summer Models •Year Round Programs •Afterschool & Summer Advocacy Efforts Increase Participation •Outreach Materials •Standards of Excellence Guides and Reports Contact Your State Agency

Afterschool Resource Center Home Page

Return to FRAC homepage

                                                              

                                                                         The federal child nutrition programs provide critical funding for meals and snacks in afterschool, summer, and before school programs. The federally-subsidized meals and snacks attract children to out-of-school-time programs, where they can be active, engaged and safe while their parents are at work. The food also helps keep hunger at bay so children can fully participate in the activities going on at the program. Providing healthy meals and snacks is particularly important given the rapidly increasing prevalence of childhood obesity in the U.S. Since 1980 the number of young people who are overweight has more than tripled. By providing healthy food, nutrition programs can play a critical role in preventing obesity and improving overall health. FRAC’s Afterschool Resource Center provides a variety of information, best practices, outreach materials, tools and strategies to help afterschool providers and anti-hunger advocates get more healthy snacks and meals to children. Click on the links to the left to learn more about these programs, how you can participate, and ways to ensure that children have access to healthy and nutritious meals.

NEW! FRAC's Child Nutrition Blog!

NEW! FRAC has developed a Summer Outreach Toolkit. Visit the toolkit page for tips and materials to help you promote the Summer Food Program.

www.frac.org/afterschool

Page 39: Maryland Summer Food

REMEMBER:

• Summer food is very important to the children in Maryland.

• Increasing participation benefits kids and your program.

• The state agency and MD Hunger Solutions want you to be successful with summer food.