Charleston, W.Va (WDTV) – The West Virginia Department of Education is seeking partnerships with organizations across the state to provide meals and supervised activities for children this summer.
During the summer months, during school holidays, and especially in low-income areas, community programs and organizations are essential to ensuring that West Virginia’s children receive the nutrition they need.
County boards of education, local government agencies, and other nonprofits have joined the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) to provide free, nutritious meals to children under the age of 18 in low-income communities throughout the summer. You can participate.
Feeding locations include schools, churches, community centers, swimming pools, parks, libraries, apartment complexes, and summer camps.
West Virginia Superintendent of Education David L. Roach said: “Children need consistent, good nutrition for their mental and physical development.
In West Virginia, approximately 75% of school-age children, or 190,362, have access to free or reduced-price meals.
Officials said it was very important to keep children fed during the summer, when they are at the highest risk of food insecurity.
“In 2022, 595 summer food program sites provided nutritious meals to children in West Virginia. We expect many organizations to renew their commitments for 2023,” said Children Amanda Harrison, Director of Nutrition, said. “We encourage new organizations in communities across the mountain states to join us as this will increase the number of sites and give more children access to healthy food.”
Organizations interested in sponsoring Summer 2023 should contact Cybele Boehm or Samantha Reeves at the Office of Child Nutrition or call (304) 558-3396.
The summer site will be announced in June 2023.
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