Sixty-three percent of school-aged children in Georgia rely on national school meal programs to provide them with meal throughout the year, and nearly 85 percent of those children do not have access to nutritious meals and snacks when school lets out for the summer.
To promote the statewide summer lunch program, "Feeding for a Promising Future—No Kid Hungry Campaign," the Georgia Food Bank Association (GFBA) is partnering with the Arby's Foundation and Gwinnett County Parks and Recreation to kick off the Summer Food Service Program at Lucky Shoals Park in Norcross on Tuesday, June 10, at 11 a.m. First Lady Sandra Deal, along with representatives from Bright from the Start, the Georgia Department of Education, the Arby's Foundation and more will be speaking at the event.
"Child hunger is most common, and more severe, during the summer months," says Danah Craft, executive director of the GFBA. "The vision of the Summer Food Service Program is to increase the number of children served meals throughout the state. Increasing participation and feeding more children in need this summer will help us reach our goal of ending child hunger in Georgia. We are grateful to corporate partners like Arby's Foundation and Share our Strength for their support."
Since 2013, Arby's Foundation has helped 21 community and faith-based organizations, as well as school nutrition departments, receive grant funds totaling over $660,000 that are administered through GFBA to help increase access and participation in summer feeding for children across the state.
This year, in an effort to feed more of Georgia's hungry children, the GFBA and their partners are implementing amplified communications regarding summer meals and how to access them across the state. In addition, new locations for feeding sites will provide increased capacity to serve more children. This summer, the expansion of mobile feeding sites will provide more healthy lunches in remote locations statewide. Parents can text "foodga" to 877877 to find a site or visit georgiafoodbanksassociation.org for a map.
The June 10 event is the first of three statewide kickoff events for the Summer Food Service Program (held on June 10, 19 and 26) are is a joint endeavor of Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning, the Georgia Department of Education, the Georgia Food Bank Association, The Southeast United Dairy Industry Association and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
For more information, visit the GFBA website or contact Michele Chivore at michele.chivore@georgiafoodbankassociation.org or (678) 365-4278.
