For Immediate Release:
May 21, 2007

Contact:
Nanci Gonder
Office of Public Information
573-751-6062

Schools out for summer, but lunch will still be served to many Missouri children
Summer food program provides nutritious meals to young people throughout the state

School may be out for summer, but lunch will continue for many low income Missouri children who rely on the cafeteria for free or reduced-price meals during the regular school year.

Hundreds of local community organizations throughout the state will provide lunch, as well as breakfast, during the summer months to children in eligible areas through the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services’ Summer Food Service Program. Nutritious meals will be served to low-income children at approximately 700 locations in Missouri, including schools, parks, YMCA facilities, Boys and Girls Clubs, churches and other locations where children gather in the summertime.

“Children need nutritious food to grow and learn all year long,” said Melanie Madore, assistant chief of the health department’s Bureau of Community Food and Nutrition Assistance. “Thousands of children will benefit from the meals provided by agencies across the state through the Summer Food Service Program.”
 
Meals will be served at designated sites to children age 18 and under and to people age 18 to 21 who are determined by a state or local educational agency to be mentally or physically disabled and who participate during the school year in an established school program for the mentally or physically disabled.

A list of locations where meals will be served can be found at http://www.dhss.mo.gov/sfsp/site_list.pdf.

For more information about Missouri’s Summer Food Service Program, contact the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Summer Food Service Program, P.O. Box 570, Jefferson City, MO 65102 or call toll-free 888-435-1464.

In accordance with federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, DHSS is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability.  To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC, 20250-9410, or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TTY).  USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.