Island Harvest Food Bank will be serving free lunch to children in need this summer in Port Washington. Responding to an increased demand for supplemental food for children who rely on school lunch programs, Island Harvest Food Bank has expanded its Summer Food Service Program to 55 sites across Long Island. The Port Washington Community Action Council (CAC) serves as one of the 55 locations. The local site of the CAC is at Salem Elementary School. Free lunches will be provided Monday through Thursday at 12 p.m, through August 7, according to Allison Puglia, vice president for programs and agency relations for Island Harvest. As this is considered an “open” site, any child who comes to the elementary school can receive a free meal, no questions asked, Puglia said.
Last year, Island Harvest’s Summer Food Service Program served 103,000 meals to 3,500 children through 49 sites in Nassau and Suffolk counties. This year, more than 175,000 meals are expected to be served to approximately 4,000 children participating in the program.
“For most children, summertime is a relaxed, fun and worry-free time of year, but that is not the case for many,” said Randi Shubin Dresner, president and CEO of Island Harvest. “Sadly, a good amount of children living on Long Island who rely on school lunch programs experience stress and anxiety and empty stomachs come summertime. That’s why it’s so important to educate parents on the programs and services that are available to them.”
According to Feeding America, the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief organization, 62 percent of client households with children under the age of 18 reported participating in the National School Lunch Program, but only 14 percent reported having a child participate in a summer feeding program that provides free food when school is out. “This underscores the critical importance of summer feeding programs, while emphasizing the need for increased awareness of these vital initiatives,” said Dresner.
Island Harvest’s Summer Food Service Program, which began on June 29, is administered by the Food and Nutrition Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, through the New York State Department of Education. At the local level, the program is managed by USDA-approved sponsors like Island Harvest Food Bank.
Under the Summer Food Service Program, meals are provided to all children 18 years and under, without charge, at designated sites. Acceptance and participation requirements for the program and all activities are the same for all regardless of race, color, national origin, gender, age or disability.
Since 1992, Island Harvest has grown to become the largest hunger relief organization in the region, feeding and supporting 316,000 Long Islanders annually. By relying on volunteers, in-kind services and donated food, more than .95 cents of every dollar donated to Island Harvest directly benefits Island Harvest’s programs and services.
With a mission to end hunger and reduce food waste on Long Island, Island Harvest has pioneered effective food and product collection and distribution systems, hunger awareness and nutrition education programs, job training programs, services for targeted populations and outreach and advocacy initiatives. Island Harvest is the region’s leading agency in disaster relief and emergency response readiness for food and product distribution, support and services. Island Harvest is a member of Feeding America, the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief charity. For more information, call Port Washington Community Action Council at 516-924-5227.
