ith the abundance of summer fruit and vegetables right around the corner, it’s hard to imagine anyone going hungry at this time of year. But as the school year wraps up for thousands of children and teenagers, the question of where they will get their next meal quickly becomes a challenge. In King County, 100,000 low-income children and teenagers rely on free or discounted meals during the school year, but less than 20% access free meals during the summer.
In 2015, we have the opportunity to make policy changes through Child Nutrition Reauthorization (CNR) that will allow the summer meals program to operate more effectively and efficiently, ensuring that more kids get the food they need during the summer months. CNR is the law that governs most child nutrition programs, including the school breakfast and lunch programs, summer meals, afterschool meal programs and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, or WIC.
The current law, known as the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act, expires on September 30, 2015. The reauthorization of child nutrition programs in 2015 gives us a critical opportunity to improve the program and feed more kids, no matter where they live. Take action today!
By Leslie Sugiura
Savvy cook, extreme clam digger, urban gardener and mom to Stella the dog are just a few of the titles Leslie Sugiura keeps in rotation. She’s also the Director of Special Events for JFS where she spearheads the annual Community of Caring Luncheon.
