Newton-Wellesley Hospital Helps Provide Meals to Low-Income Children in Waltham

NEWTON, MA – Newton-Wellesley Hospital has joined the effort to provide healthy meals to low-income children in Waltham.

The Summer Food Service Program is a partnership between Project Bread, the Child Nutrition Outreach Program and Newton-Wellesley Hospital that uses federal funds to provide children with a healthy breakfast, lunch, snack or dinner.

More than 400,000 children across Massachusetts qualify for free or low-cost school meals, according to a press release. However, during the summer months, these meals are unavailable.

The Summer Food Service Program seeks to provide children with continued access to nutritious meals throughout the year. Its meals are free and meet federal nutrition guidelines for children 18 years old or younger.

The program often serves meals alongside programming designed to maintain an active and learning environment for students.

"We are committed to addressing all of the social factors, including hunger, that helps determine a family’s health," Lauren Lele, director of Community Benefits at Newton-Wellesley Hospital, said in a press release. "This program helps keep thousands of children and families well-nourished during the busy summer months. We are grateful to be part of a program that positively impacts the health of people living in the communities we serve."

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's 2014 report on food security, approximately one in 10 households in Massachusetts struggled at some point to provide food for their families.

"Summer Food Service Program meals are a boost to the family food budget and are an easy and reliable way for parents to ensure their children get the nutrition they need to learn and grow," Ellen Parker, executive director of Project Bread, said in the release.

Photo Credit: Meggiepc9 (Own work) [CC BY 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons