Dallas groups tout program to feed kids during summer break
By MASAKO MELISSA HIRSCH / Staff Writer--Dallas Morning News
About 1 in 4 children in Texas don’t know where they’ll get their next meal
— a problem exacerbated during the summer when they don’t have the option of
free or reduced-priced school breakfasts and lunches.By MASAKO MELISSA HIRSCH / Staff Writer--Dallas Morning News
On Thursday, several organizations aimed to raise awareness about the troublesome issue and to let local families know about a program that can help.
The United Way of Metropolitan Dallas hosted the event at CitySquare’s Opportunity Center. CitySquare is a nonprofit devoted to fighting poverty.
It was the second in United Way’s “Nine for 90” series, which honors the organization’s 90th anniversary with nine community service projects presented by Texas Instruments. Each project highlights one of the United Way’s main focus areas of education, financial stability and health.
“For all of us here today and in Dallas, Texas, that is not acceptable,” said Jennifer Sampson, president and CEO of United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, referring to the number of children going hungry.
The event corresponded with the kickoff in Dallas of the Department of Agriculture’s Summer Food Service Program, in which more than 100 organizations provide food at about 1,000 sites in Dallas County for children during the summer months.
About 73 percent of Dallas County students receive free or reduced-price school meals. Yet only about 14 percent of them take part in the summer mealsprogram.
We have a free meal program at our summer reading program. The food is so terrible, most of the kids will not eat it. I really hope the food you all are giving out is better than the food we have received for our kids.
ReplyDeleteMost of the kids just throw it away,which makes me ill. We can't save it and give it to our homeless folks (who would eat it). I would love to find a better answer. Any suggestions?
Nancy Johnson