ArizonA Multihousing AssociAtion
Dunlap & Magee Partners with St. Mary’s to Provide Summer Lunches By AMA
A
rizona summer months can be particularly tough for Arizona families with younger children. During the school year, many families take advantage of school breakfast and lunch programs that offer children stable meals. Once fed, these children are able to concentrate better in the classroom and get the nutrition they need to grow. When the summer comes around and classes are out, some families struggle to feed their young ones nutritious meals every day. To address this serious issue, St. Mary’s Food Bank developed the Kids Café meal service program. For some of their clients, this may be the only meal of the day. The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture and administered by the Arizona Department of Education, Kids Cafe contin-
ues its efforts to ensure that no child goes to bed hungry so they can live healthy and productive lives. This summer, St. Mary’s partnered with Dunlap and Magee, other apartment communities, community based health clinics and schools to offer locations where families could pick up their meals. The apartment communities offered a logical, accessible destination for the program and it’s an amenity for residents who take advantage of the program. “We’re proud that Dunlap & Magee has joined St. Mary’s Food Bank’s Kids Cafe program to provide children free, healthy meals this summer,” said Laura Brill, Director of Culinary and Nutrition Programs for St. Mary’s Food Bank. “One in four children in Arizona is at risk of going hungry tonight and relies on school lunches for their only meals. These are kids that should be growing, learning, and playing, not worrying about where they’re going to find
their next meal. In this partnership with Dunlap & Magee, we are closer to achieving our vision that no child goes to bed hungry so they can live healthy and productive lives.” The need for these meals, and programs like this one, is on the rise, as evidenced by the staggering growth of the program. This summer, the program has reported a more than 22 percent increase in the number of meals served. But this growing program still isn’t meeting the needs of all students in Arizona. Only 13 percent of those children who qualify for free and reduced lunches receive summer meals. 1 of every 8 Summer meals served in Arizona in 2012 were from St. Mary’s Food Bank ** The Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) Summer Nutrition Status Report 2013. q
Kids Cafe® is St. Mary’s Food Bank’s meal-service program that provides Arizona children with what is often their only meal of the day. And when 1 in 4 of our kids is at risk of going hungry tonight, a nutritious meal served in a safe, accessible and nurturing environment is an investment into our kids and our community. St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance, the world’s first food bank, is a non-sectarian, nonprofit organization that alleviates hunger by efficiently gathering and distributing food to the hungry. Serving two-thirds of Arizona’s 15 counties, the organization is committed to volunteerism, building community relationships and improving the quality of life for Arizonans in need. Enrollment Efforts 2 USDA webinars featuring sites at family health centers 5 sites serving the American Indian community 7 sites in target area of Glendale School District 15 sites at public health & family health centers 16 sites with outside meal-service options piloted by USDA for take-home model during heat advisories 25 sites at apartments & multihousing properties 550 meals served daily at our largest site, Western Valley Elementary School $20,000 ConAgra Foods grant award for cooler growth Arizona Findings 2012** 1 of 8 states with double digit participation growth in summer meals 1 of 26 states experiencing increases in participation 4th largest participation increase in the country 13 percent of children eligible for school lunch receive summer meals 22.7 percent increase in summer meals
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4491 Apartment News - May 2010 issue size: 4.875 x 3.625 Release: PDF emailed to Jennifer Duven
Apartment News • September 2013