NEWTON-WELLESLEY HOSPITAL SUPPORTS WALTHAM SUMMER FOOD SERVICE PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN

Newton-Wellesley Hospital is helping to provide nutritious meals to hundreds of low-income children throughout Waltham this summer. Thanks to a partnership between Project Bread, the Child Nutrition Outreach Program and Newton-Wellesley, hundreds of children are expected to enjoy a healthy breakfast, lunch, snack or dinner free of charge.

More than 400,000 children across Massachusetts qualify for free or low-cost school meals. However, during the summer months, these children and families lose access to these nutritious meals. The SFSP works to ensure that these children have continued access to nutritious meals all summer long. The program provides free meals that meet federal nutrition guidelines to all children 18 years old and under, specifically at approved SFSP sites in areas with significant concentrations of low-income children.

“We are committed to addressing all of the social factors, including hunger, that helps determine a family’s health.” said Kerry Watson, President, Newton-Wellesley Hospital. “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.”

Since 2003, the food insecurity rate in Massachusetts has increased by 71%. According to Project Bread’s 2014 Status Report on Hunger, there are 375,695 households in Massachusetts that cannot confidently predict where their next meal is coming from. By providing free, nutritious meals throughout the summer, the SFSP ensures that every child has access to the food they need to start the school year healthy and ready to learn.

“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,” said Ellen Parker, executive director of Project Bread.

Parents, guardians, and teens can get a complete list of programs across the state by calling Project Bread’s Food Source Hotline at 1-800-645-8333 or by going to www.meals4kids.org. Through Project Bread’s Text 4 Food campaign, students can also be directed to a free meal at the nearest open Summer Food Service Program by texting 617‐863‐6325.

“Newton-Wellesley Hospital’s support of the Summer Food Service Program in Waltham is not only generous, but enormously helpful in supporting the work we do,” said Ashley Krebs, director of the Child Nutrition Outreach Program. “Without them, we would not be able to provide this vital service to the children of Waltham who just want to focus on being kids and not spend their time worrying about when they’ll be able to eat again.”

Newton-Wellesley Hospital is a full system member of Partners HealthCare System, Inc. (PHCS), a nonprofit organization that includes acute care hospitals Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women’s/Faulkner Hospitals, The North Shore Medical Center, and specialty hospitals McLean Hospital and Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, as well as Dana-Farber/Partners CancerCare, and the community-based doctors and hospitals of Partners Community HealthCare, Inc.

Newton-Wellesley Hospital provides a wide range of services, including medical, surgical, obstetrical, orthopaedic, neonatal, pediatric and psychiatric care. Newton-Wellesley has been serving its community for over a century. The medical staff of the Hospital includes nearly 1,000 physicians practicing a full range of specialties. NWH is a major teaching hospital for Tufts University School of Medicine and also has established post-graduate training programs for Harvard Medical School residents.

For more information about Newton-Wellesley Hospital’s services, specialties, free health screenings, lectures and other events, contact CareFinder at 617.243.6566; become a friend of the Hospital on Facebook www.nwh.org/facebook; watch our videos on YouTube www.nwh.org/youtube; and follow us on Twitter www.nwh.org/twitter.

Project Bread is the only statewide anti-hunger organization committed to providing people of all ages, cultures, and walks of life with sustainable, reliable access to nutritious food. From community-based meal programs, to early childhood and school nutrition initiatives, to improved access to farm-to-table resources, Project Bread approaches hunger as a complex problem with multiple solutions. With funds raised through The Walk for Hunger and other sources, Project Bread pioneers innovative initiatives and supports effective programs to eradicate hunger in our state. For more information, visit www.projectbread.org, www.facebook.com/projectbread, or www.twitter.com/walkforhunger.