Delaware News

Summer Food Service Program Provides Nutritious Meals for Needy Children

Department of Education | Governor John Carney | Kent County | New Castle County | News | Office of the Governor | Sussex County | Date Posted: Friday, June 23, 2017



Delaware’s First Lady is leading effort to ensure children have regular access to healthy meals

WILMINGTON, Del. – First Lady Tracey Quillen Carney and the Delaware Department of Education are asking for your help in letting Delaware residents know of the availability of free meals this summer for children in need.

The Summer Food Service Program targets children in low-income areas to ensure they have nutritious meals during the summer. Children and teens 18 years old or younger are eligible to receive a meal at the open sites. It is a federally funded program operated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and managed locally by the Delaware Department of Education.

Delawareans can call “211” or text “food” or “comida” to 877-877 to find meal sites in Delaware.

“We’re asking all Delawareans to join in the fight against childhood hunger by spreading the word about the Summer Food Service Program,” said First Lady Tracey Quillen Carney. “Ensuring that every child has access to nutritious meals is a moral obligation that also supports the most urgent, practical goals we have for our state – for student engagement and achievement, for public health, and for a vibrant economy driven by a strong workforce.”

Meal site sponsors, including school districts, are using creative ways to reach children in their communities, including trucks that bring meals to neighborhoods, partnerships with libraries and bookmobiles and meal sites at community functions such as the Loockerman Way Farmers’ Market in Dover and the Delaware State Fair.

“Many children depend on the nutrition they receive at school during the academic year. When school is out, their needs remain,” said Susan Bunting, Secretary of the Delaware Department of Education. “The Summer Food Service Program provides meals to children in their own communities so that they don’t go hungry during summer break.”

First Lady Carney is leading a Delaware team studying how to leverage public-private partnerships to ensure school-age children have regular access to healthy meals. In addition to providing more education and outreach to increase awareness, the team will identify new and innovative ways to increase access to child nutrition programs, specifically for families in rural areas when school is not in session.

Use the hashtag #summermealsDE to spread the word on social media.

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Related news:
First Lady Tracey Quillen Carney Attends Learning Lab on Strategies to Reduce Childhood Hunger

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Summer Food Service Program Provides Nutritious Meals for Needy Children

Department of Education | Governor John Carney | Kent County | New Castle County | News | Office of the Governor | Sussex County | Date Posted: Friday, June 23, 2017



Delaware’s First Lady is leading effort to ensure children have regular access to healthy meals

WILMINGTON, Del. – First Lady Tracey Quillen Carney and the Delaware Department of Education are asking for your help in letting Delaware residents know of the availability of free meals this summer for children in need.

The Summer Food Service Program targets children in low-income areas to ensure they have nutritious meals during the summer. Children and teens 18 years old or younger are eligible to receive a meal at the open sites. It is a federally funded program operated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and managed locally by the Delaware Department of Education.

Delawareans can call “211” or text “food” or “comida” to 877-877 to find meal sites in Delaware.

“We’re asking all Delawareans to join in the fight against childhood hunger by spreading the word about the Summer Food Service Program,” said First Lady Tracey Quillen Carney. “Ensuring that every child has access to nutritious meals is a moral obligation that also supports the most urgent, practical goals we have for our state – for student engagement and achievement, for public health, and for a vibrant economy driven by a strong workforce.”

Meal site sponsors, including school districts, are using creative ways to reach children in their communities, including trucks that bring meals to neighborhoods, partnerships with libraries and bookmobiles and meal sites at community functions such as the Loockerman Way Farmers’ Market in Dover and the Delaware State Fair.

“Many children depend on the nutrition they receive at school during the academic year. When school is out, their needs remain,” said Susan Bunting, Secretary of the Delaware Department of Education. “The Summer Food Service Program provides meals to children in their own communities so that they don’t go hungry during summer break.”

First Lady Carney is leading a Delaware team studying how to leverage public-private partnerships to ensure school-age children have regular access to healthy meals. In addition to providing more education and outreach to increase awareness, the team will identify new and innovative ways to increase access to child nutrition programs, specifically for families in rural areas when school is not in session.

Use the hashtag #summermealsDE to spread the word on social media.

###

Related news:
First Lady Tracey Quillen Carney Attends Learning Lab on Strategies to Reduce Childhood Hunger

image_printPrint

Related Topics:  , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,


Graphic that represents delaware news on a mobile phone

Keep up to date by receiving a daily digest email, around noon, of current news release posts from state agencies on news.delaware.gov.

Here you can subscribe to future news updates.