Sacramento Kids Benefit from Summer Feeding Initiative

More than 21 million children in the US depend on free or reduced-price meal programs during the school year. During the summer, many lose this vital source of nutrition and are at risk of going hungry. In fact, only one-in-six low-income children who needed summer meals received them last year, according to a new report from the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC).

The Walmart Foundation announced yesterday a $15.5 million grant to be dispersed among seven national nonprofits, including the National Council of Young Men’s Christian Associations (Y-USA), National Recreation and Park Association, Texas Hunger Initiative, National 4-H Council, National League of Cities, FoodCorps and Common Threads. With help from this grant, these organizations will expand their local meal and nutrition education programs, benefitting over 1 million low-income children and their families in over 7,700 communities nationwide.

Sacramento is one of these communities, and a local program is here to help. The YMCA of Superior California has received grant money that will aid it in feeding Sacramento children this summer and throughout the upcoming school year.

To combat the risk of hunger and malnutrition, the YMCA of Superior California plans to use its grant to test innovative ways to provide meals for kids, like serving congregate meals in empty yards in rural areas where no facilities are available.

“While many children look forward to the summer months as a time to relax, it can be a difficult time for families who rely on meals at school,” says Karrie Denniston, the director of hunger relief and nutrition at the Walmart Foundation. “As in years past, this summer we continue our work with longstanding nonprofit partners to help more kids access meals and learn to develop nutritious eating habits so they can live healthy lives.”