For a fifth summer, the Vermont Foodbank is sponsoring Summer Food Service Program sites in underserved communities in Vermont.  Breakfast and lunch will be provided to children up to age 18 in the towns of Canaan, Morgan, Holland, Charleston, and Brighton. The sites will also offer a variety of enrichment programing, ranging from drama and science education, to cooking classes and sports.

The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) is the single largest federal resource available for local sponsors who want to combine a feeding program for children with a summer activity program. Funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the program is designed to ensure that children who rely on free or reduced price meals during the school year continue to have adequate nutrition throughout the summer.

When the school year ends, free and reduced priced school breakfasts and lunches are not available. According to Hunger in America 2010, 42.3 percent of emergency food sites in the Feeding America network reported “many more children in the summer” being served. In Vermont, more than 27,000 children live in food insecure households.  Research has shown that even mild under nutrition experienced by young children during critical periods of growth may lead to reductions in physical growth and adversely affect brain development. Proper nutrition is vital to the growth and development of children. In response to the problem of child hunger, the Vermont Foodbank became a Summer Food sponsor in 2008.  We expect to serve more than 3,000 meals through the Summer Food Service Program this summer.

If you have any questions about the program or would like to know more about the following SFSP sites, please contact Jennifer Hutchinson at 802-477-4126 or jhutchinson@vtfoodbank.org.

Canaan Elementary School

July 8th through August 8th

Monday—Thursday, 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM

Breakfast: 8:20 AM and Lunch: 11:15 AM

North Country Supervisory Union Schools to be held at Charleston Elementary School

June 25th through August 3rd

Monday—Thursday, 7:30 AM to 5:00PM

Breakfast: 8:15 AM and Lunch: 11:45 AM

This year, the Vermont Foodbank received funding from the Oakland Foundation to help sites provide programing to all participants.  Your contributions also make this program possible.  Please consider giving to the Vermont Foodbank today.