On Wednesday July 14th, the Education and Labor Committee will vote on H.R. 5504, the Improving Nutrition for America's Children Act. Recognizing that students need access to nutritious meals year round in order to succeed in school, the legislation would provide eligible children with increased access to healthier, nutritious foods. Approximately 22 percent of the nation’s children lack access to quality food and one in three children is overweight or obese-- it’s clear that nutritional needs don’t take a summer break.
Communities around the county are taking steps to provide their students with year-round access to quality meals and are demonstrating why ensuring access to healthy food is vital:
In Sioux City, SD, increasing numbers of children are eating healthy meals through the Summer Food Service Program, which serves children from low-income families. The Argus Leader reported:
According to the Baltimore Sun, Baltimore’s Pimlico Road Youth Program has been similarly successful and has witnessed increased need for their services. The Baltimore Sun reported:
Communities around the county are taking steps to provide their students with year-round access to quality meals and are demonstrating why ensuring access to healthy food is vital:
In Sioux City, SD, increasing numbers of children are eating healthy meals through the Summer Food Service Program, which serves children from low-income families. The Argus Leader reported:
“At the YWCA in downtown Sioux Falls on Wednesday, primarily elementary-aged boys and girls filed through a serving line while workers filled their trays with a sloppy joe sandwich, green beans, pineapple and milk. On average, the agency dishes out 220 lunches and 110 breakfasts each weekday, said Karla Johnson, director of child care services.
“‘There's no question in my mind that this program is really helping those children and their families. And we're seeing more of that,’ she said.”
According to the Baltimore Sun, Baltimore’s Pimlico Road Youth Program has been similarly successful and has witnessed increased need for their services. The Baltimore Sun reported:
“Workers at the Northwest Baltimore center say at least half the students have come to depend on the sponsored meals to tide them over for the evening, food that serves as a substitute for the free lunches the children receive during the school year.
“With school out, state and federal officials say about 25 percent of the 328,000 low-income Maryland children who received free school meals during the year got them last summer. The numbers, however, are on the rise.”
