Hunger Task Force Provides Free Summer Meals Program
With school being out during the summer, children and families are at higher risk of going hungry this time of year.
Many children rely on school lunch to have access to healthy, fulfilling meals. With school being out during the summer, children and families are at higher risk of going hungry this time of year. In Milwaukee, Hunger Task Force (HTF) works to help solve this issue through its Summer Meals program, where free, nutritious meals are served daily to families at more than 180 sites throughout the city.
“The program has requirements for reimbursements that include fruits, vegetables, proteins and all the items you’d want on a kid’s plate,” HTF Chief Strategy Officer Jonathan Hansen affirms.
In addition to access to healthy food, the USDA-funded program helps folks save money on groceries, encourages children to participate in recreational and educational activities, and cultivates a sense of community within each site.
Milwaukee Model
Hansen explains that the company brings together the summer meal providers, partnering sites, federal nutrition programs and private donors to create what they call the “Milwaukee Model.” Breakfast and lunch are funded by the federal programs while private donors help to cover the cost of dinner.
“In this coordinated way, over the summer months, kids have access to three healthy meals a day,” Hansen says. “It’s a tough thing when low-income families have tight budgets and other challenges.”
According to HTF, one in four Milwaukee County folks living in poverty are kids, and only ten percent of children receiving free meals at school also receive a free summer meal. As of late, the company is seeing a 35 percent increase at local food pantries and meal programs.
“The biggest things that people point to is the increased cost of food and their monthly rent,” Hansen notes. “It’s making families make very difficult choices of whether to pay their rent, their utilities or to put food on the table. Unfortunately, the cut to the grocery bill is one of the first things they consider.”
Hot Meals
Community member Passion Watson found out about the Summer Meals program through her frequent visits to Moody Park, and she now often comes with her son.
“I saw the sign and thought I’d check it out,” Watson recalls. “I just moved into a new place and it doesn’t come with appliances. It helps a lot to have a hot meal here, especially for working parents who have kids.”
An interactive map of all Summer Meal sites and their operating hours can be found here. Street-facing banners are posted near each site directing folks to the right location.
Hunger Task Force also provides healthy and culturally responsive food to food pantries, soup kitchens and homeless shelters throughout the year. The company estimates that its Summer Meals program distributes about 500,000 meals annually. Additionally, its stock box program helps feed about 10,000 senior citizens every month.