June 13, 2008
free summer meals available to children
Richmond’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities serves free meals to children between the age of 1 and 18 at more than 120 locations throughout the city from June 16 to Aug. 29 through its participation in the U. S. Department of Agriculture’s Summer Meals for Kids Program. Last summer, the department served more than 306,000 free meals to children in the Richmond area.
No registration is required for the meals, and all are absolutely free. To find a location where free meals are being served near you, call 646-5752.
The Summer Meals for Kids Program was created by the USDA to ensure that all children could continue to receive nutritious meals during long school vacations when they do not have access to school lunch or breakfast. In accordance with federal law and USDA policy, the Summer Meals for Kids are available to all children between the age of 1 and 18 regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, or disability. To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC, 20250-9410, or call (800) 795-3272 or (202) 720-6382 (TTY).
The Powhatan Hill Community Center will be participating with the Summer Meals for Kids Program. Breakfast will be served from 9:00am to 10:00am beginning June 23rd until August 22nd. Lunch will be served from 12 noon to 1:00pm beginning June 1th through August 29th. Meals must be served and consumed at the times and place listed. For more information, please call 646-0973.
Inside our elementary schools we have children who are still hungry after eating their small breakfast and they ask for more food. The cafeteria manager turns them down, though food is thrown out daily. Something about the money. Clearly, these kids do not get enough to eat at home. Thank god for the summer meals, but the community needs to come up w/ a solution to this hunger in our schools situation. Can local churches contribute to a fund that would pay the cafeteria for these extra meals?