Have you reached out to your local 211 provider?

When it comes to summer meals, 211 can be an invaluable partner. 211 is a free telephone and Web referral service–available in as many as 150 languages–that links families to local resources. According to 211 California, in 2009, more that 1.6 million Californians used 211 to local services including rent and mortgage assistance, food and shelter, healthcare, job training, transportation, childcare, and senior care. The San Diego County Summer Lunch Task Force has collaborated with 211 San Diego to expand its referral options by helping families also find summer meal sites.

To this end, 211 San Diego created a unique web page, available in English and Spanish, dedicated to summer meals. The easy-to-use interface allows families to search by zip code to find sites located closest to them. The search function also includes meals served, hour of operation, and any activities offered. This web page is the first comprehensive and interactive list of all San Diego County summer meals sites. 211 San Diego will also continue to enhance the site by adding regional maps. Families can also call 211 and speak to one of 211 San Diego’s highly trained specialists who can direct them to summer meal sites and other community services.

211 San Diego’s Community Development Officer, Gabriel Kendall, finds that sometimes the family is dealing with other issues (e.g., ran out of SNAP benefits, electricity turned off) that may have led to needing food assistance. The partnership between 211 San Diego and the Summer Lunch Task Force demonstrate how community partners can effectively collaborate–and capitalize on the assets of each–to create a summer safety net for families in need. Find out if 211 is in your county here.

The need for nutrition assistance

• Nationally 43% of low-income families find it harder to make ends meet during the summer and 32% sometimes find themselves without enough food during the summer months.
• Of families that participate in the free and reduced-price lunch program, more than half (54%) find it harder to make ends meet during the summer and 43% sometimes find themselves without enough food during the summer months; 73% of families report spending more on food during the summer months than during the school year.

Where low-income children are spending time during summer

• Most low-income children (80%) are at their homes during the summer, and even more (86%) eat lunch at home most days – so while we know where they are, we also know that they are not already in programs that can serve federally reimbursed summer meals.

Awareness of summer meal programs

• Only 40% of low-income families report being aware of locations for free summer meals and only 17% report their child/children having received those meals.

Preferred information source to learn about summer meal programs

• Schools are the most reliable source for receiving materials about programs, with direct mail and websites being the most desired channels to receive information about programs.

Other highlights from Share Our Strength’s March 29 webinar include:

• Families already participating in nutrition assistance programs such as SNAP or WIC appreciated learning about local summer meal programs through those offices.
• Messaging that resonated with families included an emphasis on how summer meal programs can help families make ends meet during the summer, offer activities in a safe, local environment, and provide healthy food for children.

Be sure to check out the presentation showcasing the survey findings and other great summer meal resources available at the No Kid Hungry Center for Best Practices.

*Adapted with permission from Share Our Strength No Kid Hungry campaign.

This year’s series focuses on a range of topics including engaging elected officials, addressing the transportation challenge and more.

2. Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) Summer Meals Matter Conference Call Series

FRAC’s monthly calls share summer meal program best practices from around the country.

3. Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon Site Sustainability Matrix

This guide helps sponsors assess potential summer meal sites or re-evaluate sites from last year to gauge success potential.

4. National Summer Learning Association – Healthy Summers: Turning Risk into Opportunity report

This report connects the research related to summer and its impact on food insecurity, childhood obesity, and the academic achievement gap. A must-read for school district and community leaders.

5. Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry – Fighting Hunger Through health Care Brief


This report provides a look at the health care community and can spark ideas about how to engage health care providers serving low-income families as key partners.

While for-profit organizations cannot be a summer meal sponsor, offering them an opportunity to support local programs can be mutually beneficial. Some things to consider:

• Identify what you need. Do you need volunteers, giveaway prizes, promotion, or help underwriting the cost of jump-ropes?
• Remember that cash isn’t everything. Perhaps the local car dealership can’t hand you $1,000 but  it is willing to work with its radio station partner to negotiate its ad-buy to include some additional free air-time for summer meal program promotional ads. Providing corporate volunteers can also be a priceless gift — and summer meal programs are well suited for a lunch hour commitment. Perhaps a local bio-tech company can provide some simple materials and a few volunteers to do Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) activities with kids.
• Provide a range of options. Create a menu that lists a range of clear, tangible options to support your program (e.g., 5×5 option includes five days of five volunteers). A menu may help business leaders pick and choose from options to create something that works for both sides.
• What will you provide in return? Be thoughtful in presenting the potential benefits to local businesses. Why is it in their best interest? Be clear about promotion expectations (e.g., Will the corporate logo appear on all promotional materials or on a small sign?)
• Be accountable. Whether its a large company with a board and shareholders to report to or a small business planning for next year, provide businesses with something to show that their contribution mattered.

Local businesses help our communities thrive. And their support for summer meal programs can in turn help ensure the children in our communities thrive.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson is urging leaders within the community and school districts to support summer meal programs in their communities.  In a letter sent earlier this month, Torlakson called upon community leaders to ensure that children in need have access to free, healthy lunches when school is out via USDA summer nutrition programs. Superintendent Torlakson emphasized the importance of proper nutrition, physical activity, and opportunities for learning during summer to prevent California’s low income students from falling behind academically — and to preserve their health. Superintendent Torlakson also called upon school district superintendents to be proactive in making sure that their students have access to summer meals during this crucial time.

With no one agency holding sole responsibility for the well-being of California’s kids when school is out, the responsibility falls to all of us to work together to create a summer safety net. This is truly an “all hands on deck” effort and an opportunity to strengthen our communities and help kids thrive. An effort well worth it.

• First, identify your need. What is your program missing (e.g., activities, volunteers, promotion…or kids)? If your program is already successful, what would enable you to reach more kids?

• Who in your community offers that particular resource and may be able to fill that need? Can the pediatricians at the local community clinic or church pastors let families know about your program? Can local Girl Scouts to assist with activities? Can the local community college help recruit student volunteers? Is your local food bank able to provide produce or groceries to parents? Can the county “Meals on Wheels” provider assist with transporting meals to sites? Once you can hone in on what’s missing from (or what would boost) your program, you can identify who in the community might be able to offer that resource.

• Effective partnerships are marked by reciprocal support. How can you support your community partners? Summer meal sites can often be a great venue to help low-income families access other resources and services available through your partners.

The common thread of successful summer meal programs is the acknowledgement that this is an “all hands on deck” effort. When we envision what summer break should look like for kids in our community, it’s surprising to see just how many others share that vision and simply need someone — or something — to bring them together.

So with that in mind, we’ve added a “Community” section to the website that will provide an opportunity for us to open the door for new ideas, areas needing more support, and sharing the great work that you are doing in the community. Check out the community here. We are also  growing our library of resources, tools, and webinars, so have a look around…and be sure to sign up for our newsletter to stay up-to-date by clicking here.