Summer is here and while that’s good news for kids who will be going off to camp, the beach or to other enriching activities, for families that depend on school meals for balanced nutrition it’s not so great. Budget cuts have affected many programs that fill the gap between June and September but there are still options for meals for kids in need if you know where to look. If you know someone who needs help feeding their kids here are some hunger resources for summer:
The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) was established to ensure that low-income children continue to receive nutritious meals when school is not in session. Free meals, that meet Federal nutrition guidelines, are provided to all children 18 years old and under at approved SFSP sites in areas with significant concentrations of low-income children.
The Los Angeles Unified School District has many sites that provide lunch to kids enrolled in summer programs. Visit CAFÉ-LA for the list of sites.
The City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks offers Free Summer Lunches to kids and teens ages 1 through 18 at more than 100 parks starting June 10, 2013 until August 9, 2013.
Here is a list of summer lunch sites sponsored by the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank. Many of them are at Boys and Girls Clubs that have other great activities going on. A few of the new sites this year are at LA Public Libraries including the Downtown Central Branch. Lunch and literacy? Now THAT’S a winning combination!
Here at the Jewish Federation we are taking a different action against hunger. We just had our first harvest of 2013 from Brindell’s Garden adjacent to the Federation headquarters building on Wilshire Blvd. Three of us picked basil, parsley, green onions and harvested seven beautiful cucumbers! Back on March 31, as part of the spring Jewish Federation Community Service Day, 15 volunteers, with the guidance of a master gardener, planted parsley, basil, green onions, eggplant, tomatoes, peppers (hot and sweet), and squash. Brindell’s Garden is part of the Netiya network and all of the produce we grow is donated to Global Kindness, a small grassroots pantry in the Pico Robertson neighborhood.
The Hunger Initiative is part of The Jewish Federation’s Community Engagement Strategic Initiative and is funded in part by a generous grant from the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles. We mobilize the Los Angeles Jewish community to pursue an inclusive society that reflects the best of American and Jewish values, a strong Jewish future and a safe and vibrant Israel.
