Mayor Vince Gray announced the terrific news earlier today: Starting July 19, some libraries and rec centers will be serving children and youth 18 and younger lunch through the DC Free Summer Meals Program! That's right. Free lunch for all kids in DC.
Shocked? Surprised? Don't be. DC has served free meals on Saturdays before. The point, after all, is to make sure kids are not hungry on weekends.
From the release:
"Not only has the District committed to providing free summer meals on Saturdays for the second year in a row, but we have also significantly increased the number of sites offering meals at DPR and DCPL locations," said Mayor Gray. "I am proud that the District continues to rank first in the country in access to nutritious meals for children and young people during the summer months. By expanding summer meals to Saturdays for the second summer in a row and offering new meal locations, we are once again demonstrating our commitment to being a city where every child has a chance to succeed."
DC Free Summer Meals is an important component in One City Youth as evidenced by the real estate dedicated to the program on the OCY website, onecityyouth.dc.gov. In addition to the searchable map prepared by OCY partner DC Hunger Solutions, the site is home to outreach materials, chief among which are the flyers in Amharic, English, French, Korean, SimChi, Spanish, and Vietnamese; a short PSA; and a list of sites containing Ward and ANC info.
What are you waiting for? Help feed some kids on Saturdays and through the summer - tell them about the DC Free Summer Meals Program, refer them to the searchable map, and tell them to call 211 to find the most convenient location.
[Original post: http://susiecambria.blogspot.com/2014/07/free-lunch-on-saturdays-anyone.html]
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Susie Cambria, MSW
Public Policy Consultant
Susie’s Budget and Policy Corner (blog): susiecambria.blogspot.com/
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