A Commitment to Closing the Summer Hunger Gap
Nationwide, 18 million children participate in the National School Lunch Program, which provides meals to school children for free or at a reduced price rate. Only two million of these children receive federally-subsidized meals during the summer months! In the 13 counties that comprise Northern Illinois Food Bank’s service area, nearly a quarter of a million children receive a free or subsidized meal in school. During the past year, this number grew by 16%.
Northern Illinois is concerned that many of these children are without access to nourishment when school is not in session. Summer meal programs combat not only hunger but malnourishment, an “education gap,” and obesity. “Many children are vulnerable to excessive weight gain over the summer, especially minority children and those who already are overweight. Inactivity and poor quality meals can be the norm for children who do not have access to healthy meals and snacks and summer programs that incorporate physical activity into the program day.” To find out more, please visit After School Alliance.
In 1999, Northern Illinois Food Bank began a summer lunch program serving 40 children a day out of the back of a car. Today, the NIFB serves as one of the largest sponsors of the federally funded Summer Food Service Program administered by the Illinois Board of Education. During the summer 2011, NIFB made daily deliveries to 110 youth programs serving 5,000 children a day, and provided over 180,000 healthy summer meals!
As the sponsoring organization of the SFSP, NIFB is accountable for all food service, administrative and financial functions, so that meals provided free to the youth programs, families or children. NIFB receives federal reimbursement for meals served and raises money to cover additional expenses, such as delivery vehicles, site monitoring, and coolers for drop-in playground locations.
"One student was really excited to have strawberries because she said she didn’t eat them a lot at home. Another student was introduced to broccoli for the first time and she ended up loving it!" - Nuestro Center Family Services
To view sample lunch menu, click here.
To view nutritional analysis of our summer lunch menu, click here.