6/1/2016

THE HIDDEN KIDS: Medford works to feed low-income students, boost state-low participation - Gate House

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By Alex Ruppenthal
aruppenthal@wickedlocal.com

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July 09. 2015 8:57AM

THEHIDDENKIDS:Medfordworkstofeedlowincomestudents,booststatelow
participation
For almost 200 days, from September 2014 through June 2015, nearly 2,000 students in Medford Public Schools
relied on federally subsidized food programs for at least one meal.
Through the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program, students from households with
incomes at or below 185 percent of the federal poverty line are eligible for free or reduced price meals during the school
year.
But starting with the first day of summer break this year, June 30 the meals disappear.
For many families, theyre afraid for the next school vacation or the summer because they know thats the last meal
their kids are going to have until school starts again, said Ashley Krebs, director of the Child Nutrition Outreach
Program (CNOP) for the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).
In addition to promoting in-school food programs, Krebs and her team at Project Bread help communities market the
Summer Food Service Program, which provides one or two free summer meals to kids 18 and under from low-income Starting in early July, free meals will be
families.
available at four city parks Morrison
Park, Harris Park, Barry Park and Tufts

In July 2014, the program served almost 3.2 million children nationally, according to the nonprofit Food Research and
Park in addition to the Willis Avenue
Action Center (FRAC).
Community Center location. Courtesy
The program, administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), provides students with healthy meals Photo/CityofMedford
during summer break, a 10-week period filled with anxiety for a significant number of parents or guardians who cant
afford to feed their children.
According to DESE, more than 230,000 students in Massachusetts live in food-insecure households, meaning they dont know where they will get their next
meal.
These parents say, when school gets out, they worry about where their next meal is going to come from, said Deborah Jeffers, food service director for Salem
Public Schools, which runs the summer program in that community. They just have to worry about dinner [during the school year]. But when school gets out,
they have to worry about all three meals.
Last summer, Jeffers and her staff served 36,734 summer meals at 15 locations throughout Salem, one of the highest totals in the area.
Medford, meanwhile, has had a fraction of Salems participation, despite a growing number of low-income students in the district.
Last summer, Medford had one meal site and reached about 1 percent of the roughly 1,900 students who are eligible for free or reduced-price meals during the
school year the lowest participation in the state.
The citys program sponsor was Tri-City Community Action Program, which served a total of 372 meals last summer at the Medford Housing Authoritys Willis
Avenue Community Center.
We know there are kids who depend on the schools for lunch every day, and we dont know what theyre doing over the summer, said Syrah McGivern,
community transformation coordinator for Medfords Board of Health.
In neighboring Malden, by comparison, the citys school district served 27,341 meals last summer. How can the numbers be so different in Medford?
Finding sponsorship can be a challenge, Krebs said. To be honest, its something that takes a lot of time. Its a commitment.
Medford is far from the only place without an established summer program.
Nationally, only 16 percent of eligible students received meals through the program last summer, according to FRAC, which translates the statistic like this: In
summer 2014, only one in six children who needed summer meals received them.
Promotion has picked up in recent years thanks to renewed federal support. In 2013, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack set the goal of increasing summer meals
distribution by 5 million meals that summer, the program served an additional 7 million meals than the previous year, surpassing Vilsacks goal.
As of 2013, Massachusetts ranked 10th nationally, according to FRAC, with 22 percent of students who eat a free or reduced-price lunch during the school year
participating in the summer program.

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6/1/2016

THE HIDDEN KIDS: Medford works to feed low-income students, boost state-low participation - Gate House

Although the program is growing, so is the need for help.According to Project Bread, the food-insecurity rate in Massachusetts increased by 71 percent from
2003 to 2013.
You think, Oh, the economy is getting better, Jeffers said. But I think people are barely making it.

Programoverhaul
This year, Medford Public Schools is taking over the program and adding a handful of meal sites in an effort to reach more of the citys low-income students.
Starting in early July, free meals will be available at four city parks Morrison Park, Harris Park, Barry Park and Tufts Park in addition to the Willis
Avenue location.
Under supervision of the districts food services director, Juile Bradley, staff will serve the meals at the end of daily activities offered as part of the citys
Summer Park Program, which runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday through Friday.
All kids 18 and under are welcome to pick up meals at Willis Avenue or the four participating parks, which are located near the two district schools with the
highest participation rates in free and reduced-price meal programs: Columbus Elementary and McGlynn Elementary.
Free meals will also be served at the Medford Boys & Girls Club, though only to kids who meet free and reduced-price guidelines and are enrolled in programs
at the location.
Bradley said all meals would be would prepared at McGlynn Elementary and then taken to the participating locations. One district staff member will oversee
meal distribution at each site.
A typical meal will include a sandwich, fruit, milk and snack, Bradley said.
Im really excited that were doing it this year because were behind the times, McGivern said. All the neighboring communities have been doing it for
years.
Bradley has received participation estimates based on enrollment in the citys Summer Park Program. But given this is the districts first summer providing
summer meals, Bradley said the district would have extra meals on-hand in case any of the sites run out.
Thats my only concern is to get these numbers [right], she said.
In recent years, the districts population of low-income students has grown steadily. According to a district report issued in June, 45 percent of the districts
students were eligible for free or reduced-price meals this school year, up 2 percent from the previous year.
Bradley said the districts percentage of low-income students has increased from 30 percent just a few years ago
In the last couple years, we have really increased, she said. That gave us a lot of inspiration. I see it more now that the need is there.
Bradley hopes the district can provide meals to more and more kids each summer. But running the program involves costs. This summer, Bradley said the
district must pay six staff members to prepare and distribute meals.
Maldens YMCA is covering some of the programs cost, but Bradley worries the $3 per meal reimbursement provided to program sponsors wont be enough.
I want the kids to come and eat so they can retain the knowledge they learn during the year, Bradley said. My fear is that its not going to be sustainable.
Even in Salem, where Jeffers has developed a program that served almost 37,000 meals last summer, challenges remain. Jeffers said she only has one vehicle
to deliver meals to kids who arent able to make it to meal sites.
Were kind of tapped out, Jeffers said. We need people to come in and help us figure out how were going to get these meals to people.
Theyre kind of like the hidden kids, she said. They dont have the food.

HOWTOHELP
Becomeaprogramsponsor: Schools, park programs, community agencies, churches or other groups interested in becoming a SFSP site or sponsor should
contact the Child Nutrition Programs by phone at 617-723-5000 or by email at cnop@projectbread.org
Although the deadline for sponsorship applications has passed, DESE often adds program sites during the summer and encourages interested sponsors to
contact Project Bread using the phone number and email listed above.
Volunteer at a meal site: Contact local program sponsors to help with meal distribution, delivery or other program aspects. To find sponsors in your
community, go to www.meals4kids.org
Find summer meal sites: The list of participating sites for summer 2015 will be posted by July 1 at www.meals4kids.org.
Site and program information is also available in multiple languages by calling Project Breads FoodSourceHotline at 1-800-645-8333.
Questions about the program can also be sent by text message to 617-863-6325.
Spreadtheword: Help low-income families learn about the program by directing them to www.meals4kids.org or the phone numbers listed above.

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