The following is a news release from the South Plains Hunger Solutions:

South Plains Hunger Solutions–a coalition of local organizations with the mission of empowering all South Plains residents to have access to healthy food—is excited to announce that free summer meals for children and teens will be available in Lubbock at nearly 50 locations during the summer of 2018. The individual sites are sponsored by four organizations: Frenship ISD, Lubbock ISD, the South Plains Food Bank, and the YWCA of Lubbock. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Texas Department of Agriculture work with these organizations to offer these free meals at schools, churches, recreation centers, parks, and more. Because of these sites, more area kids and teens will be connected this summer to health and nutrition resources, helping to close the crucial “summer gap” when school is out of session, especially for students participating in the free and reduced school lunch and breakfast programs.

South Plains Hunger Solutions includes a Child Hunger Action Team, which furthers the mission of SPHS by promoting communication and collaboration among programs, resources, and organizations, so that gaps can be identified and filled, with the result that more area children and youth can have dependable access to healthy food. In addition to providing a chart of all Lubbock-area summer meals sites as well as other outreach tools (see below and see attached document), SPHS is excited to announce two innovative and collaborative approaches to summer meal service that will launch this summer:

  • “Feed Your Future”: a series of weekly (Thursday) lunchtime presentations at Lubbock ISD high schools. Students can enjoy a free lunch while hearing diverse speakers discuss topics relevant to students’ personal and professional futures. The scheduled speakers include leaders from community institutions such as Texas Tech University, South Plains College, the Lubbock and Levelland Chambers of Commerce, and the South Plains Food Bank. Topics range from information on careers in health professions, to building personal brands, and more. (See the attached flyer for more details, and look for an additional release next week that will focus specifically on this program.)
  • Partnerships at the Parks: Frenship ISD is expanding its summer meal service in a major way in 2018. This will include regular lunch service at Duran and Hinojosa Parks in West Lubbock. To support this new venture, so that more young people will receive a regular lunch on summer weekdays (and have some fun as well!), First Baptist Church of Lubbock is sponsoring two summer interns that will help with outreach, facilitate activities at the parks, etc.

“All of the summer meals sponsors across the South Plains play a vital role in closing the summer meal gap,” says Allison McGough, chair of the Texas Hunger Initiative’s Lubbock regional office and advisor for South Plains Hunger Solutions. “In addition to the many sites they serve in Lubbock, the South Plains Food Bank delivers fresh, healthy meals to many additional sites in multiple counties throughout the region, and there are many other local ISDs that make summer meals available during part of the summer.”

“South Plains Hunger Solutions is especially excited to announce and to support the two new initiatives highlighted above, as they take innovative approaches to address identified hunger gaps, and they do so by bringing diverse community organizations together. Unfortunately, only a relatively small percentage of children who are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch during the school year have historically participated in the free summer meals program. The SPHS Child Hunger Action Team believes that these pilot programs—in addition to the critical and expanded service provided by all the summer meals sponsors—have a real opportunity to make a difference this year!”

General Information about the Summer Food Service Program:

  • Meals are FREE to children and teens ages 18 and younger
  • Food served follows USDA nutrition guidelines and is paid for by the USDA
  • Summer Meals sites are at schools, churches, community centers and other safe places
  • Many sites offer educational and recreational activities for kids of all ages
  • No application/paperwork necessary, and enrollment in other programs at the site is not required!

For More Information (including help finding a nearby site):

About South Plains Hunger Solutions
South Plains Hunger Solutions is a coalition of diverse organizations and community representatives that exists to “empower all South Plains residents to have access to healthy food.” The coalition works primarily through three action teams: Child Hunger Action Team, Food Access for Seniors Team, and the Hunger & Horticulture action team (which is focused on supporting and connecting small-scale local food projects, with an emphasis on school and community gardens).

About the South Plains Food Bank
The South Plains Food Bank seeks to achieve its goal of seeing a hunger-free community through this partnership. There is an increased need at the Food Bank during the summer months, and the free summer meals program for children and teens helps to alleviate that need. The SPFB prepares and distributes food to dozens of summer meals sites throughout the South Plains. The SPFB hopes to see a rise in attendance at the sites this year; not in the amount of people in need, but in the amount of people being helped.

About the YWCA
The YWCA offers summer day camps for children ages 4-12 at its Livermore and Talkington Sun ‘n Fun locations. All camps operate from 7:30 a.m. – 6 p.m. and feature both indoor and outdoor activities, games, swimming, arts and crafts, language experiences, and other special programs to enrich children’s out-of-school experiences. A healthy breakfast, lunch and snack are served daily as part of the Department of Agriculture’s Summer Food Service Program. The YWCA summer camp program plays a critical role in assuring that young people have a safe place to spend the day while parents are at work. By staying actively engaged through the summer, children return to school in the fall ready to learn.

About Lubbock ISD
Aramark and Lubbock ISD are dedicated to providing students breakfast and lunch meals during the summer months. We know the importance of having access nutritious meals during the school year, and we strive to continue that effort throughout the summer. Aramark has been a proud partner with Lubbock ISD since 1987, and will continue to help support the district and community by providing healthy meals, snacks and wellness teachings, during the school year and beyond.

About Frenship ISD
Aramark and Frenship ISD are dedicated to serving the community during the summer, just as we are during the school year.  Our menus will be built based on requirements from the USDA’s Summer Food Service Program which includes whole-grains and fresh fruits and vegetables.  All community children up to 18 years are welcome to join us for nutritious meals in a safe and inviting environment.  

About the Texas Hunger Initiative
The Texas Hunger Initiative (THI) is a capacity-building and collaborative project, sponsored by Baylor University, that seeks to develop and implement strategies to end hunger through policy, education, research, community organizing and community development. THI seeks to make the state food secure by ensuring that every individual has access to three healthy meals a day, seven days a week. THI convenes federal, state and local government stakeholders with non-profits, faith communities and business leaders to create an efficient system of accountability that increases food security in Texas. As part of this work, THI regional offices help launch and facilitate Hunger Free Community coalitions throughout the state, including South Plains Hunger Solutions.

(News release from the South Plains Hunger Solutions)