Summer food program provides nutritious meals for children in need

First Lady Tracey Quillen Carney and the Delaware Department of Education are asking for the public’s help in letting Delaware residents know of the availability of free meals this summer for children in need. The Summer Food Service Program targets children in low-income areas to ensure they have nutritious meals during the summer. Children and teens 18 years or younger are eligible to receive a meal at the open sites. It is a federally funded program operated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and managed locally by the Delaware Department of Education.

To find meal sites, Delawareans can call 211 or text "food" or "comida" to 877-877.

"We're asking all Delawareans to join in the fight against childhood hunger by spreading the word about the Summer Food Service Program," said Carney. "Ensuring that every child has access to nutritious meals is a moral obligation that also supports the most urgent, practical goals we have for our state - for student engagement and achievement, for public health, and for a vibrant economy driven by a strong workforce."

Meal site sponsors, including school districts, are using creative ways to reach children in their communities, including trucks that bring meals to neighborhoods, partnerships with libraries and bookmobiles, and meal sites at community functions such as the Loockerman Way Farmers Market in Dover and the Delaware State Fair.

"Many children depend on the nutrition they receive at school during the academic year. When school is out, their needs remain," said Susan Bunting, secretary of the Delaware Department of Education. "The Summer Food Service Program provides meals to children in their own communities so that they don't go hungry during summer break."

Carney is leading a Delaware team studying how to leverage public-private partnerships to ensure school-age children have regular access to healthy meals. In addition to providing more education and outreach to increase awareness, the team will identify new and innovative ways to increase access to child nutrition programs, specifically for families in rural areas when school is not in session.