300 Otsego Children Receive
Free Meals During Summer
More than 300 children in Otsego County are receiving free summertime meals through VISTA’s 2015 Summer Food Service Program, the Food & Health Network of South Central New York reports in a study released today.
FaHN is coalition that works to increase access to healthy, local food and support a strong regional food system in eight Central NY counties, including Otsego.
When school lets out, low-income children lose access to the free or reduced-price school breakfasts and lunches they receive during the school year. This leaves many children without reliable access to nutritious food, known as food insecurity. The Summer Food Service Program works to close the summer gap by providing free meals at schools, summer camps, community centers, churches, parks, and more.
The Taren Family Fund and the Dick and Marion Meltzer Fund of the Community Foundation of South Central New York provided support for the assessment.
Participation in summer meals grew from 6,330 in 2013 to 8,500 in 2015 across the FaHN region. In Otsego County, almost 100 more kids received free summer meals from 2013 to 2015. Still, the program is underused. The number of students participating in summer meals equaled only 12% of those students receiving free or reduced price lunch during the school year. Boosting participation rates will fill a critical gap for food insecure children during the summer.
To read the full assessment, visit the Food & Health Network website.
