Island Harvest expands summer food program  

Freeport’s Long Island Council of Churches serves free meals to children facing hunger this summer

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Responding to an increased demand to supply supplemental food to children who rely on school lunch programs, but may not get enough to eat when school is in summer recess, Island Harvest Food Bank has expanded its Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) to 55 sites across Long Island including Freeport. The Long Island Council of Churches, 450 North Main Street will serve lunch to children now through August 28 from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., five days a week. Call 516-425-0021 for more information.

“For most children, summertime is a relaxed, fun and worry-free time of year, but that is not the case for many” said Randi Shubin Dresner, President and CEO, Island Harvest.

“Sadly, a good amount of children living on Long Island who rely on school lunch programs experience stress and anxiety and empty stomachs come summertime. That’s why it’s so important to educate parents on the programs and services that are available to them.”

According to Feeding America, the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief organization, 62 percent of client households with children under the age of 18 reported participating in the National School Lunch Program, but only 14 percent reported having a child participate in a summer feeding program that provides free food when school is out. “This underscores the critical importance of summer feeding programs, while emphasizing the need for increased awareness of these vital initiatives,” continued Dresner.

The Food and Nutrition Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture through the New York State Department of Education, administer Island Harvest’s Summer Food Service Program. At the local level, USDA-approved sponsors like Island Harvest Food Bank manage the program.

Under the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), meals will be provided to all children 18 years and under, without charge, at designated sites. Acceptance and participation requirements for the program and all activities are the same for all regardless of race, color, national origin, gender, age, or disability, and there will be no discrimination in the course of the meal service.