Non-profits in the Greater Rochester Area want to be sure children are getting enough to eat while school is out for summer vacation. Schools, community centers, and libraries will have free meals for school-aged kids starting at the end of the month.
Nearly 13% of Monroe County residents are at risk of going hungry, and Rochester has the 7th highest rate of child poverty in the nation.
The Summer Meals Planning Committee wants to serve more than the 352 thousand free meals served last year.
Mairéad Hartmann, Program Officer for the Rochester Community Foundation, explains children who don’t receive these healthy summer meals face a number of health risks.
“When people do not have access to appropriate nutrition, they sometimes might go to the corner store or a vending machine and eat chips or unhealthy foods, instead of those healthy foods,” Hartmann said. “So, they have the twin problems of childhood hunger and obesity.”
Drop-in sites throughout the region will have free breakfast and lunch—and sometimes dinner—available from June 30 to late August. Information is available by calling 2-1-1.