Funded by USDA, meals will be provided to eligible children free of charge
Washington, DC, 5/23/17 – Summer is a hard time for children who rely on school meals to receive the balanced nutrition they need to thrive. Continuing its commitment to providing access to good food in every community, the Capital Area Food Bank has announced that it will once again provide free summer meals to eligible children throughout the Washington metro area. The Free Summer Meals Program (FSMP), for which the food bank will be an acting program sponsor, is funded by the US Department of Agriculture.
Over 137,000 residents of Prince George’s County struggle to get the food they need; of those, 15% are children. Food insecure children are more likely to experience stomachaches, headaches, colds, ear infections, and fatigue. They are sick more often, recover more slowly, and are more likely to be hospitalized.
During the school year, The Capital Area Food Bank operates afterschool and weekend meals programs called Kids Cafe® and Weekend Bag. Both of these programs fill meal gaps, supplementing school-based federal free or reduced price breakfasts, lunches, afterschool snacks and dinners. Meal service is extended in the summertime with many sites offering daily breakfasts, lunches, snacks and suppers. Additionally, the CAFB’s Weekend Bag program provides bags of pantry staples and fresh produce for children and their families over the weekend when school is out of session.
Children who are part of households that receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits are automatically eligible to receive free meals. (To be eligible to receive free meals at a residential or non-residential camp, children must meet the income guidelines listed below for reduced-price meals under the National School Lunch Program.)
Acceptance and participation requirements for the Program and all activities are the same for all regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability, and there will be no discrimination in the course of the meal service. Meals will provided at the sites and time as follows: see Press Release PDF attached below.
About the Capital Area Food Bank
The Capital Area Food Bank is the largest organization in the Washington metro area working to solve hunger and its companion problems: chronic undernutrition, heart disease and obesity. By partnering with nearly 450 community organizations in DC, Maryland and Virginia, as well as delivering food directly into hard to reach areas, the CAFB is helping 540,000 people each year get access to good, healthy food. That’s 12 percent of our region’s mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, and grandparents. To learn more, visit: capitalareafoodbank.org, or find the Capital Area Food Bank on Facebook at facebook.com/CapitalAreaFoodBank, and Twitter at @foodbankmetrodc.
In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA.
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.), should contact the Agency (State or local) where they applied for benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.
To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, (AD-3027) found online at: http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, and at any USDA office, or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992.
Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:
(1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410;
(2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or
(3) email: program.intake@usda.gov.
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
The Maryland State Department of Education does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, disability, or sexual orientation in matters affecting employment or in providing access to programs and activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. For inquiries related to Department policy, please contact: Agency Equity Officer, Equity Assurance and Compliance Officer, Office of the Deputy State Superintendent for Finance and Administration, Maryland State Department of Education, 200 W. Baltimore Street – 6th Floor, Baltimore, Maryland 21201-2595, 410-767-0433 – voice, 410-767-0431 – fax.
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