by Steve Wytcherley

June is here and so too is summer! This means school is coming to an end and when school’s out, kids look forward to enjoying a break from class. However, for many kids from low-income families, summer brings worries about where lunch will come from and avoiding hunger. When breakfast and lunch are no longer available at school, that’s when many communities mobilize to bring healthy food and fun activities through the Summer Meals Program.

At Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon, we are honored to partner with communities around our state, joining together to provide nutritious food and fun activities for Oregon’s kids.
Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon congratulates the 2017 Summer Meals Support Fund recipients!

This year, with the help of contributions from members of the Oregon Business Association and other generous donors, PHFO distributed $50,000 in small grants to 21 school districts and community organizations throughout the state to support new and expand existing programs!

In our ninth season of the program, we know that each summer meal program is unique. We support programs that involve local businesses, libraries, affordable housing communities, parks and recreation, faith-based organizations, school districts and volunteers—and sometimes, all of the above!

Announcing the 2017 awardees:

From Ontario in the east to Depoe Bay in the west, and from Stanfield in the North to Lakeview in the South (with many in between), grant awardees will ensure that Oregon kids have access to healthy meals and fun activities all summer long. Most programs offer enrichment activities in addition to healthy meals, helping to combat the “summer slump” or learning loss that kids experience when they don’t have daily access to stimulating activities.

The Summer Meals Support Fund supports programs like the one in Lakeview, a town that has not had a summer meals program for more than five years. Working directly with the Oregon Department of Education, Lake Health District has applied to become a new sponsor serving meals and activities at McDonald City Park, Union School, and Goose Lake State Recreation Area to kids in southern Lake County. Support for this program includes more than 13 health, governmental, educational and other community partners!
John Day Canyon City Parks and Recreation District (JDCC) is adding a new site to a rural community in central Oregon. Seneca, population 199, is 30 miles from a city and has no restaurants, stores or summer programs for kids. JDCC will be bringing much needed activities and healthy summer food for Seneca’s kids.

In Portland, Human Solutions and Home Forward will improve and expand services in several low-income housing complexes. These programs especially support kids looking after younger siblings at home and families with limited transportation.

We’re so excited to support new and existing sites in the Portland Metro area and across the state. Every year about 35,000 kids eat lunch across Oregon through the summer meals program and that makes us very happy!

All of this great work would be not possible without the Summer Meals Support Fund donors!

Many of these businesses and organizations have continued to give year after year, allowing us to distribute more than $674,000 to summer meal sites across Oregon. Because of their generosity, families and kids in Oregon will be cared for this summer. Thank you so much to donors, sponsors and all volunteers involved!

We also want to thank our individual donors!

Deanna Allred
Marie Boleen
Anthony Brown
Christine Carpenter
Lynn Dusek
Brian Frank
Arnie and Robin Gardner
Amanda Haworth
Lisa Klarp
Kat Kozitza
Davia and Steve Larson
Doreen Loofburrow
Kyle and Megan Jones
Pamela Mariea-Nason
Shanna Pittman-Frank
Jaime Reznick
Kimberli Spiegel
Joyce White
Patti Winter

Download the above 2017 Hunger-Free Summer report here.