Food Gatherers is sponsoring 22 Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) sites for children through August 28 in partnership with the Michigan Department of Education and funded by Toyota. More than 5,300 children are food-insecure in Washtenaw County because they do not have reliable access to affordable, nutritious food. When school is out for the summer, these students and their families lose access to an important source of food—free and reduced-price school breakfasts and/or lunches.

Each week, SFSP sites will distribute bundles of free, to-go meals (breakfasts and lunches) to provide 14 meals/week for each child. Parents/guardians may pick up food; kids do not need to be present. Chronic hunger has an especially detrimental impact on children that are still growing and developing. Government nutrition-based programs such as SFSP can play an important role in promoting lifelong healthy eating.

Food Gatherers Chief Development Officer Helen Starman says, “We will be able to supplement the meals with groceries and fresh produce boxes, as well as expand our mobile meal program reaching several remote communities.”

 For more info including locations, visit FoodGatherers.org/summerfood.