More kids qualify for Vt. lunches

August 04, 2008

By HOWARD WEISS-TISMAN, Reformer Staff
Thursday, July 31

PUTNEY -- The number of children in Vermont who received free lunches during the summer of 2007 rose slightly from the previous year, according to a national report released this week.

And while the state showed some mixed results in other parts of the summer food program, childhood nutrition advocates say that the increase in the number of meals served means more children were fed during a time when they may have otherwise gone without a meal.

"Anytime we learn that more kids got fed it is a good thing," said Sarah Kunz, summer nutrition outreach and nutrition specialist with the Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger. "But there is still work to do and some of the things that show up in the data make us look at where some of the trends may be going and what we have to focus on in the future."

According to the report, "Hunger Doesn't Take A Vacation: Summer Nutrition Status Report 2008," which was released by the Food Research and Action Center, 5,724 children in Vermont enrolled in the summer food program in 2007.

That was a 4.5 percent jump from 2006's total of 5,478.

The 2007 total bumped Vermont's national ranking from ninth to eighth in the percentage of children who are enrolled in the school-year program who received lunches in the summer.

But that percentage, 26.7 according to the report, means that only one out of four children who receive free or reduced meals during the school year access summer meals.

"Rural communities have an especially hard time setting up programs, and one out of four means most of the children who receive meals during the school year are not getting them in the summer," said Kunz. "It speaks to the lack of statewide affordable and age appropriate summer programs."

Some summer food programs are administered through summer schools, but many towns and recreation departments partner with their local school districts to serve the federally sponsored meals.

One of the areas that Vermont saw a decrease between 2006 and 2007 was in the number of sites where summer meals were offered.

In 2007, there were 70 locations in the state, approximately a 25 percent drop from 2006, when there were 94.

Kunz said more schools are picking up the slack, but nutrition advocates still think recreation programs are better locations because that is where the children spend their days.

The steep drop in locations between 2006 and 2007 mean some of those administrators grew tired of jumping through the federal hoops that are required, and with fuel prices rising, Kunz said it is going to get even harder for towns to find the funding to support the summer meal programs.

In Rockingham, the summer meal program was on the verge of being canceled before the school district and town got together at the 11th hour to save it.

Rockingham Executive Assistant Kerry Bennett has taken on the task of finding volunteers to deliver the food everyday and she says it has been a struggle throughout the summer.

She said the rec area in Rockingham has been busy this year and there is a need to provide food to some of the children.

"For some of these kids, this is the only meal they will have all day," said Bennett.

The town is still looking for volunteers through most of August.

This summer in Windham County, meals are also being served at 12 sites in Brattleboro and at schools in Westminster and Putney.

Putney Family Services director Michael Mrowicki helped start the meals program this year.

The program in Putney, which has been serving about 40 children daily, is a collaboration between Putney Family Services, Putney Central School, Head Start and the Westminster School, which prepares the food for the children in Putney.

The Putney program came together quickly, Mrowicki said, and while there have been a number of challenges getting it off the ground this year he expects it to be continued next year.

The group only held its first meeting in April and he said next year should be larger and easier.

"We just wanted to get this started this year, and we did, and when its done we'll evaluate how we did," Mrowicki said. "We'll build on this and try to find ways to better serve the community. I'm sure the need will be there again next year."

Howard Weiss-Tisman can be reached at hwtisman@reform-er.com or 802-254-2311, ext. 279.

August 04, 2008

Press Room