Click picture(s) to enlarge
|
For the third year, the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), in partnership with the Walmart Foundation and Kansas Health Foundation, supported local park and recreation agencies as they worked to fill the hunger gap that children experienced during the summer months through the Serving Communities grant program.
Eighty-four percent of park and recreation agencies across the country provided nutritious meals to children during the summer months. The Serving Communities 2012 grants provided $1.4 million in support to 33 communities across the country as they ensured children in low-income and underserved communities easy access to healthy summer meals, nutritional education and recreation opportunities for physical activity.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that 19.5 million low-income children received free or reduced meals during the school year, but fewer than three million of those children participated in the Summer Food Service Program. “Lack of access to healthy meals coupled with a decline in physical activity in the summer was a real and detrimental problem for children,” says Barbara Tulipane, president and CEO of NRPA.
“Park and recreation agencies were on the frontline fighting this trend. With generous gifts from the Walmart Foundation and Kansas Health Foundation, our local champions were able to provide nutritious meals for thousands of children to support the development of a healthy and active generation.”
Launched in 2010, and sustained with support by the Walmart Foundation’s $2 billion commitment to fight hunger in the U.S., the Serving Communities program has helped park and recreation agencies serve 16 million meals reaching 180,000 low-income children. This is an increase of 3.7 million meals compared to 2009 figures. With the addition of Kansas Health Foundation’s support in 2012, the NRPA Serving Communities program will have an even greater impact.
How to get involved
Whether running one feeding site at a community center or sponsoring a food service program serving more than 1,000, considering adding a feeding program for the first time, NRPA can help your agency reach more at-risk children.
USDA Food and Nutrition Services offered comprehensive information on the administration and management of federal food service programs, including the Summer Food Service Program and Child and Adult Care Food Program at
www.fns.usda.gov/fns/.
What cities are involved?
A total of 84 percent of the 12,000 park and recreation agencies throughout the United States provided meals to low-income children. Those agencies represented nearly every community, from large to small and urban to rural. Through NRPA’s Serving Communities grant, park and recreation agencies in the following communities were expanding their food service programs:
• Montgomery, Ala.
• Jacksonville, Ark.
• Bakersfield, Calif.
• Los Angeles, Calif.
• San Diego, Calif.
• Inglewood, Calif.
• Monte Vista, Colo.
• Colorado Springs, Colo.
• Washington, D.C.
• Hialeah, Fla.
• St. Petersburg, Fla.
• Atlanta, Ga.
• Chicago, Ill.
• Elgin, Ill.
• Bloomington, Ind.
• Indianapolis, Ind.
• Wichita, Kan.
• New Orleans, La.
• New Bedford, Mass.
• Prince George’s County, Md.
• Genesee County, Mich.
• Kansas City, Mo.
• Saint Paul, Minn.
• Aberdeen, Miss.
• Buncombe County, N.C.
• Lincoln, Neb.
• Plainfield, N.J.
• Albuquerque, N.M.
• New York, N.Y.
• Columbus, Ohio
• Portland, Ore.
• Philadelphia, Pa.
• Greenville, S.C.
• Brownsville, Tenn.
• Austin, Texas
• Houston, Texas
• Richmond, Va.
• Des Moines, Wash.
• Madison, Wis.
• West Bend, Wis.
For more information about the NRPA’s Serving Communities visit www.nrpa.org/feeding.
About the National Recreation and Park Association.
The National Recreation and Park Association is a national non-profit organization dedicated to advancing park, recreation and conservation efforts that enhance quality of life for all people. Through its network of 20,000 recreation and park professionals and citizens, NRPA encourages the promotion of healthy lifestyles, recreation initiatives, and conservation of natural and cultural resources. For more information, visit www.NRPA.org.
About philanthropy at Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart and the Wal-mart Foundation are proud to support initiatives that are helping people live better around the globe. In May 2010, Walmart and its Foundation made a historic pledge of $2 billion through 2015 to fight hunger in the U.S. The Walmart Foundation also supports education, workforce development, environmental sustainability, and health and wellness initiatives. To learn more, visit www.walmartfoundation.org.
About The Kansas Health Foundation
The Kansas Health Foundation is a private philanthropy dedicated to improving the health of all Kansans. For more information about the Kansas Health Foundation, visit www.kansashealth.org. |
