June 30. 2010
Il!r^Jortlanh OOhscruer
Page 7
Kids’ Summer Meal Sites Open
Program
supports good
nutrition
D rew R afaella D akessian
T he P ortland O bserver
For many students who attend
Portland Public Schools, going to
school isn’t just a place to learn, but
also to eat.
With school out for the summer,
students across the country who
rely on the school system for sup
port will have to look elsewhere. But
luckily, here in Portland, parents
have some options.
Forty nine percent o f students
in the district qualify for free- and
reduced lunches, says Portland
Public Schools spokesm an Matt
Shelby. For these kids, school
m eals are their prim ary source o f
nutrition. During sum m er break,
these students are in danger o f
going hungry when they should
be going ohtside to play. Starting
this week, however, they’ll be able
to do both.
Hunger pangs are gripping large
swaths o f the country. President
Barack Obama has made it his goal
to end childhood hunger by 2015,
and it looks like he has his work cut
out for him. A report by the Food
Research and Action Center found
that one in four respondents in
households reported having trouble
feeding themselves.
by
M ark W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver
Kids from the Gateway neighborhood o f northeast Portland enjoy healthy snacks and sandwiches at
the Gateway Park Apartments thanks to Project Summer, a child nutrition program.
photo by
In Portland, there is help for these
A collaborative effort between to serve nutritious meals to low-
families. This summer will mark the the school system, Portland Parks income children when school isn’t
seventh year that kids can partici and Recreation and various non in session.
pate in supervised activities and eat profit organizations, Project Sum
By and large, Project Summer
a good meal at community locations mer is part o f a the Sum m er Food seems to be thriving: Last year, al
throughout the city in what is known Service Program for Children, a 1916 most a thousand kids participated
as Project Summer
federal initiative that provides funds in the Summer Food Program on an
average day, says Annie Kirschner,
Child Nutrition Outreach Coordina
tor for the non-profit Partners for a
Hunger-Free Oregon.
However, this accounts for only
29 percent o f students who relied on
a subsidized school lunch during
the year. So actors in Project Sum
mer are now making outreach a pri
ority.
“We send out information to
every student’s household at the
beginning o f the summer,” says
Shelby. “A flyer is being sent out
this week that lists summer oppor
tunities.”
Informing families o f the oppor
tunity is only half the battle. Getting
around is another problem.
“During the summer it’s a bit.. .of
a challenge because people have to
get to the parks, and that can be
challenging for folks that don’t have
transportation,” says Shelby.
Kirschner says that there is help
for cash-strapped families, so that
getting around isn ’ t a barrier to their
kids getting a good meal. Financed
transportation is available so that
children who want meals can get
them regardless o f limited means,
she said.
’’Especially in rural areas, [fami
lies] look to the private sector to
provide transportation to the kids,”
adds Kirschner. Since federal reim
bursement only accounts for $3.25
per lunch served, “Churches and
other private groups have really
stepped up.”
Charles Ford
Service Friday
Longtime community activist and African-American
elder Charles Ford died June 24 at age 80.
Ford was active in the federal Model Cities program
o f the early 1960s and 1970s, was a longtime board
member o f the Boise Neighborhood Association, and
represented that group on the board o f the Northeast
Coalition o f Neighborhoods for more than 20 years,
starting with its inception in 1975. He received a Spirit o f
Portland award in 1988.
Bom in Hickory, Miss., he graduated from Rust Col
lege in that state. He moved to Portland in 1951.
A public service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, July 2, at
Maranatha Church o f God, 4222 N.E. 12th Ave.
L egal N otices
photo by M ark
W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver
Good in the Neighborhood
Youth and their adult m entors from the Leisure Hour Junior G olf Club participate in Saturday's Good in
the Neighborhood Parade, part o f la st weekend's annual m ulticultu ral m usic and food festival held at
King School Park.
Need to publish a court document or notice? Need
an affidavit of publication quickly and efficiently?
Please fax or e-mail your notice for a free price quote!
Fax: 503-288-0015
e-mail: classlfleds@portlanclobseiver.com
The Portland Observer