Contact:
Martin Ackley, Director of Communications 517-241-4395
Agency:
Education
May 29, 2008
LANSING - For more than two months every year, school children go on summer vacation. As a result, hundreds of thousands of Michigan children who depend on school meals to meet a substantial amount of their daily nutrient needs lack access to a healthy meal. This lack of access to basic nutrition is most pronounced among low-income children, who frequently have no alternative to school meals.
The Summer Food Service Program ensures that children can continue receiving nutritious midday meals on school playgrounds and in parks, camps, and other sites where they traditionally gather during summer vacation.
However, far too few children take advantage of this important program, which serves fewer than 15 percent of the children who receive free and reduced-price meals during the school year, according to the Michigan Department of Education.
"This is a vital need children have during the summer months," said State Board of Education President Kathleen N. Straus. "As family budgets are tightened, it's reassuring to know that there are places children can go during the summer to get nutritious meals. This is a healthy safety net for school children."
In recognition of the important efforts of organizations sponsoring summer meals programs and to heighten public awareness of the benefits of summer meals, communities are called upon to recognize the important achievements of schools and organizations that sponsor summer meal programs and to ensure that children and their parents are aware of this benefit.
There are 164 local Summer Food Program sponsors in Michigan serving nutritious meals at 950 sites across the state. To find a sponsor in your area, go to www.michigan.gov/sfsp <http://www.michigan.gov/sfsp> (Summer Food Directory). Sponsors will indicate where free meal sites are located (schools, churches, parks) and when their programs will offer free summer meals.
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