Summer Food Cooking in PA

Summer nutrition for school age children is finally getting a foothold in the state. The impetus is coming from a variety of sources.

At the top of the list is the USDA effort to increase the number of summer meals by 10 percent in the Mid-Atlantic region. Also pushing is the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) with a variety of initiatives to encourage schools and community groups. Hunger Action hosted a session, designed to identify and eliminate barriers with existing Summer Food Service Program sponsors. Still other groups hope to make their mark by pushing the numbers up this summer.

Looking to the last two summers the Food Research and Action Center's "Summer Nutrition Report" rated Pennsylvania 12th among the states for the number of children served by summer nutrition. However, the number of Pennsylvania children actually receiving summer nutrition decreased by 6.2 percent from 2000 to 2001. Children receiving summer meals went from 126,250 in 2000 to 118,411 in 2001. In 2001 more than 2238 sites in Pennsylvania sites served summer meals.

The number of Pennsylvania children served is still strong compared to other states, but the job's far from done. About 74 percent of the children receiving free or reduced price lunches during the school year still missed out on summer meals.

This year PDE worked diligently to improve participation. A Seamless Summer Food Waiver just introduced allows school districts to continue to serve summer meals with the National School Lunch Program instead of having to change over to the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). Seven school districts are taking advantage of this option.

Vince Matasheski at PDE reports sending out 1000 letters this year to encourage potential summer meal sponsors. Twenty-eight new sponsors representing 37 sites have signed on to begin this summer. PDE expects that before June's end there will be more additions to the list of sponsors.

Sponsors continue to look for fiscally effective ways to run summer feeding, so often there is some fluidity in the numbers. Larger sites might divide to reach more areas. Smaller sites might combine when efficiency dictates consolidation.

Noteworthy also are returning sponsors that added sites or added a second meal.

Susan Still from PDE reports, "We expect an increase of between 5-10 percent in the number of meals served over last year providing the weather cooperates. We are encouraged by the many ways communities are responding to ensure food security for children."

To make sure summer food is in your community, call PDE at 1-800-331-0129.

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