Summer Food Service Program helps feed Long Island children
A child has breakfast Wednesday at William E. DeLuca Jr. Elementary School in North Babylon. Summertime, when schools are on break, can leave some families challenged to find meals for their children. Credit: Neil Miller
Summer months can be stressful for families who rely on meals in school.
When school is not in session, tens of thousands of Long Island children who face food insecurity can be left without a place to eat, a growing need that local food banks and school districts are trying to meet through the help of a federally funded program.
“We need to meet the basic needs of our children,” said Kim Skillen, deputy superintendent for instruction at North Babylon schools. “They’re with us for 180-plus days during the school year. But in July and August, they still need to eat.”
Long Island youth can access free meals at dozens of sites in Nassau and Suffolk counties in the coming weeks as part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Summer Food Service Program.
Officials from the state Education Department, which administers the program on the state level, estimated the initiative will serve more than 20 million meals to feed 400,000 youth statewide through nearly 2,500 sites over the summer.
Families can search for a location that offers meals on an interactive USDA map. They can also text their ZIP code to 304304 to get information on the nearest sites.
Locally, the program is run by approved sponsors, including school districts like Brentwood, and food banks like Long Island Cares and Island Harvest.
The two regional food banks collectively run 59 sites, including a dozen open to the public for anyone 18 or younger. The rest are restricted to only children who participate in summer programs. A monthlong summer camp in Glen Cove, for example, is one of the sites that receives breakfast and lunch from Long Island Cares.
On Wednesday, dozens of students at Connolly Elementary School in Glen Cove had their choice of applesauce, oatmeal bars, cereal, crackers, diced pears or peaches and milk for breakfast.
Children sat along tables in a cafeteria cooled by fans standing in the corners. A few rising third-graders talked about an upcoming field trip. Two 8-year-old girls disagreed over whether they wanted to rock climb.
Carolina Di Maggio, youth program coordinator of Glen Cove After 3, said the city-run program doesn’t have the funding to provide free breakfast and lunch to all students every day. The program runs from July 8 through Aug. 9 and has about 90 children ages 5 through 14.
While some children may have breakfast at home before they come, others need the meals, Di Maggio said. “Some of the kids may not get dinner at home,” she said.
With rising costs, the need is greater than ever, some food advocates said.
“We are seeing the need expanding beyond what we’ve ever seen in the past,” said Jenny Schaeffer, chief programs and network officer at Island Harvest.
“Food is so much more expensive,” she said. “[For] families who have children at home, their expenses have increased in all kinds of directions.”
Families can find meals in schools, libraries, churches and community centers during certain hours. One of them is the William E. DeLuca Jr. Elementary School in North Babylon, which opened Monday.
Skillen said the district began the program in summer 2020 during the height of the pandemic. The program initially allowed for grab-and-go meals, but last year, regulations changed and required children to have meals on-site.
Skillen said the program, which operates Monday through Friday, averages about 30 to 50 children daily.
Just a few miles away, Wanda Ortiz-Rivera, superintendent of Brentwood schools, said her district runs four sites open to community members 18 or younger.
Last summer, the district offered more than 66,000 meals for breakfast and lunch. Many of those who were fed were district students enrolled in summer programs.
“We do recognize the impact food insecurity may have on some students,” Ortiz-Rivera said. “It’s critical that we ensure they have a nutritious meal during the summer months.”
An estimated 44,780 children in Nassau and Suffolk counties were food insecure in 2022, according to Feeding America, a national network of food banks, food pantries and local meal programs.
Summer months can be stressful for families who rely on meals in school.
When school is not in session, tens of thousands of Long Island children who face food insecurity can be left without a place to eat, a growing need that local food banks and school districts are trying to meet through the help of a federally funded program.
“We need to meet the basic needs of our children,” said Kim Skillen, deputy superintendent for instruction at North Babylon schools. “They’re with us for 180-plus days during the school year. But in July and August, they still need to eat.”
Long Island youth can access free meals at dozens of sites in Nassau and Suffolk counties in the coming weeks as part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Summer Food Service Program.
Officials from the state Education Department, which administers the program on the state level, estimated the initiative will serve more than 20 million meals to feed 400,000 youth statewide through nearly 2,500 sites over the summer.
Families can search for a location that offers meals on an interactive USDA map. They can also text their ZIP code to 304304 to get information on the nearest sites.
Locally, the program is run by approved sponsors, including school districts like Brentwood, and food banks like Long Island Cares and Island Harvest.
The two regional food banks collectively run 59 sites, including a dozen open to the public for anyone 18 or younger. The rest are restricted to only children who participate in summer programs. A monthlong summer camp in Glen Cove, for example, is one of the sites that receives breakfast and lunch from Long Island Cares.
On Wednesday, dozens of students at Connolly Elementary School in Glen Cove had their choice of applesauce, oatmeal bars, cereal, crackers, diced pears or peaches and milk for breakfast.
Children sat along tables in a cafeteria cooled by fans standing in the corners. A few rising third-graders talked about an upcoming field trip. Two 8-year-old girls disagreed over whether they wanted to rock climb.
Carolina Di Maggio, youth program coordinator of Glen Cove After 3, said the city-run program doesn’t have the funding to provide free breakfast and lunch to all students every day. The program runs from July 8 through Aug. 9 and has about 90 children ages 5 through 14.
While some children may have breakfast at home before they come, others need the meals, Di Maggio said. “Some of the kids may not get dinner at home,” she said.
With rising costs, the need is greater than ever, some food advocates said.
“We are seeing the need expanding beyond what we’ve ever seen in the past,” said Jenny Schaeffer, chief programs and network officer at Island Harvest.
“Food is so much more expensive,” she said. “[For] families who have children at home, their expenses have increased in all kinds of directions.”
Families can find meals in schools, libraries, churches and community centers during certain hours. One of them is the William E. DeLuca Jr. Elementary School in North Babylon, which opened Monday.
The program in North Babylon averages about 30 to 50 children daily, a school official said. Credit: Neil Miller
Skillen said the district began the program in summer 2020 during the height of the pandemic. The program initially allowed for grab-and-go meals, but last year, regulations changed and required children to have meals on-site.
Skillen said the program, which operates Monday through Friday, averages about 30 to 50 children daily.
Just a few miles away, Wanda Ortiz-Rivera, superintendent of Brentwood schools, said her district runs four sites open to community members 18 or younger.
Last summer, the district offered more than 66,000 meals for breakfast and lunch. Many of those who were fed were district students enrolled in summer programs.
“We do recognize the impact food insecurity may have on some students,” Ortiz-Rivera said. “It’s critical that we ensure they have a nutritious meal during the summer months.”
An estimated 44,780 children in Nassau and Suffolk counties were food insecure in 2022, according to Feeding America, a national network of food banks, food pantries and local meal programs.
