FRANKFORT, Ky. — More children in Kentucky are getting the nutrition they need during the summer, according to Hunger Doesn’t Take a Vacation: Summer Nutrition Status Report, released by the Food Research & Action Center. Free summer meals are provided at local sites in Kentucky such as schools, libraries, YMCAs, churches, and parks for children ages 18 and under.
The report finds:
- The average daily participation for the summer meals program in July 2018 was 35,528 – a 15.1% increase from 2017.
- The number of meals served in July 2018 and August 2018 increased by over 20%, with 21.4% and 25.4% in growth respectively.
- The number of sites where children can access summer meals increased by 300 locations, from 1,628 sites in 2017 to 1,928 sites in 2018.
The report ranks Kentucky 41 out of 50 states and the District of Columbia for participation in the federally funded Summer Nutrition Programs, which include the Summer Food Service Program and the National School Lunch Program. This is a big jump for the program, which FRAC ranked 47th in 2018. Much of the success of summer meals can be attributed to summer sponsors’ commitment to innovation in the Commonwealth.
In a rural state with high poverty rates, ensuring access to summer meals for all food-insecure kids is a significant challenge. Access summer meal sites is difficult for many families, particularly those that lack access to transportation. Summer meal sponsors in Kentucky are meeting that challenge through mobile meals, an innovative delivery method that ensures kids living in remote or dangerous areas also have access to summer meals.
Data from the Kentucky Department of Education reveals that 26% of all summer meals sites in Kentucky were mobile meal stops last year. 75 summer meal sponsors in Kentucky embraced this innovation in 2018, using renovated school buses, vans, and other vehicles to bring the summer meals program to where kids live and play.
“When school lets out, too many children lose access to the school breakfasts and lunches they rely on during the school year, increasing childhood hunger and stretching family budgets during the summer,” said Kate McDonald, KY Kids Eat Coordinator at Feeding Kentucky. “Summer meals help fill this gap, and mobile meals ensure access for many Kentucky kids.”
— Feeding Kentucky
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