Health Wise:
Hungry children in County
By Alyson Hoffman

Do you know children in Athens who will go hungry this summer? Children in low-income communities are eligible to receive free or reduced-price meals during the school year through the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs.

But those programs end when school ends for the summer. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Summer Food Service Program helps fill the hunger gap.

Good nutrition is essential for effective learning every day, all year long. Just as learning does not end when school lets out, neither does the need for good nutrition. Children who aren't hungry learn better, act better, and feel better.

The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) helps children get the nutrition they need to learn, play, and grow throughout the summer months when they are out of school.

The SFSP was created to ensure that children in lower-income areas could continue to receive nutritious meals during long school vacations, when they do not have access to school lunch or breakfast. But, although millions of children depend on nutritious free and reduced-price meals and snacks at school for 9 months out of the year, just a fraction of that receive the free meals provided by the SFSP during the summer months.

The SFSP will be offered this summer from June 9th until August 15th in Athens. Children ages 1 to 18 are invited to Kiwanis Park or West Hyland Apartments Monday through Friday to receive a free meal, no questions asked. The meals will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., with special activities on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

No child will be turned away and no identification is required.

The East Texas Food Bank and Texas AgriLIFE Extension have partnered again this year to offer the East Texas Food Bank's Summer Food Service Program to the Athens area and we need volunteers like you to make it a success. Last year the SFSP served 118,000 meals between 25 sites in East Texas. Athens alone served 475 meals to children who would not have a meal otherwise. This year our goal is to serve 600 meals!

We are asking churches, organizations, and stand alone volunteers to pledge to work one week during the summer. Some volunteers will be needed to drive vans to pick up and drop off children not in walking distance of either site, and others are needed to pass out meals and record the number of meals served. We need 3 volunteers per site, which means we need at least 6 volunteers per day.

If you or your organization is willing to participate please let me know as soon as possible. There will be a volunteer training on Tuesday, May 13th at the East Texas Arboretum Women's Building from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. The training is very important and we would like as many volunteers to attend as possible. We will be providing dinner for all volunteers in attendance, so please R.S.V.P. to 903-675-6130.

If you have any questions regarding the Summer Food Service Program or the Volunteer Training, please call me at any time. I will do my best to answer any questions you may have.

Important Dates:

(1) The Summer Food Service Program Volunteer Training will be held on May 13th @ the East Texas Arboretum Women's Building from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

(2) The Summer Food Service Program will run from June 9th to August 15th.

(3) Walk Across Texas will kick off the fall! Look for more information soon!!