Summer Food Programs a Vital Ingredient for Many of Ohio's Youth
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June 24, 2010
COLUMBUS, Ohio - During the school year, close to 800,000 Ohio children receive free or reduced-priced lunches. To keep those children from going hungry during the summer months, schools, camps, churches and community centers in Ohio are opening their doors to provide nutritious meals while class is out of session.
Nora Nees, director of Child and Senior Nutrition for the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks, says it is critical that kids have access to food so they don't lose any ground over the summer.
"We know what happens when a child is hungry. They come in with stomach aches, headaches, anemia, lower math achievement, lower reading. There are some real disparities out there."
Child nutrition programs are readily available during the school year, but close to two dozen counties in Ohio do not have a summer food program. That could change under the federal Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, which takes several steps to ensure that low-income children can participate in child nutrition programs. Versions of the bill are currently in both the House and Senate.
Despite widespread support for reauthorizing nutrition programs, debate looms over the funding level. Nees says additional funding for these programs is vital to the success of Ohio's children.
"That's an investment that's going to pay huge dividends in the health and well-being of our kids and in their ability to compete in this increasingly global economic climate."
The current Senate proposal is $4.5 billion; the House proposal is $7 billion to $8 billion. President Obama has asked for an additional $10 billion over 10 years.