Hunger is a problem on Long Island, Glen Cove included.
But beginning July 2, free nutritious lunch and snacks are available at for children 18 and younger who rely on free or reduced school breakfast and lunch programs during the school year.
The effort is part of the Summer Food Service Program, offered through Island Harvest, a hunger-relief organization.
“Hunger has become a year-round issue on Long Island and even though food may be plentiful for most of us during the summer, for many Long Islanders, including children, finding enough nutritious food is a daily struggle,” Randi Shubin Dresner, president and CEO of Island Harvest, said in a statement.
Available at several locations across Long Island, the program is administered by the Food and Nutrition Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture through the New York State Department of Education.
According to Feeding America, the nation’s leading domestic anti-hunger organization, 89 percent of schoolchildren receiving subsidized meals when school is in session, often go hungry during the summer because they do not participate in the program. Island Harvest expects to serve over 20,000 lunches this summer.
“Now that school has ended for the summer, many children will lose their one chance to have a balanced meal during the day,” Dresner noted. “Proper nutrition is essential to the growth and development of children and many of them, especially those in low-income spectrum, don’t always have access to good, wholesome food. The Summer Food Service Program helps bridge that gap.”
For a complete list of Summer Food Service Program Sites on Long Island visit islandharvest.org. For more information, please call Bob King at Island Harvest 516-294-8528 extension 126.
