Tough times mean more hungry kids over the summer

Hard economic times are stoking a surge in students taking advantage of federally funded summer food programs.

"I can tell you that just from the phone calls we receive," said Elizabeth Donovan, director of agencies and programs for the Northern Illinois Food Bank. "We've gotten many more calls lately from people on where their children can get free meals."

More than 1,600 agencies across Illinois serve as summer food sites, state statistics show. Children 18 and under can participate in these programs if they qualify for free and reduced-price lunches during the school year.

In the Fox Valley, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Dundee Township and Elgin, Elgin's Eastside Recreation Center, the Taylor Family Elgin YMCA and the YWCA of Elgin all serve free lunches to children participating in their summer activities.

Housing developments such as Batavia's Assisi Homes and Aurora's Sagecrest Apartments also provide meals.

All of these agencies are part of the Northern Illinois Food Bank's summer meal program, which gets most of its funding through the federal government.

Last summer, Donovan said, the Food Bank packed up and shipped off about 2,100 lunches a day to children at these sites.

"This year, we're doing between 3,100 and 3,200 a day," Donovan said. "We haven't increased dramatically the number of sites we're serving, but there is an increase of the number of kids being served at the sites."

Elgin Boys and Girls Club Area Director Keavy Dixson said their recently rebuilt facility has helped more children take advantage of the free meals.

Roughly 80 children a day were served lunches last year, Dixson said. "So far this summer, there's been about 300 a day," she said.

Wednesday's lunch, Dixson said, consisted of a sub sandwich, pretzels, chocolate milk and a piece of fruit.

"You do have some picky kids, but for the most part, everybody's happy with the meals," she said.

Boys and Girls Club of Dundee Township Director of Operations Mike Berger said that roughly 200 children a day receive free lunches at the Carpentersville club.

"For us that's a little bit more (than last year)," Berger said.

For the first time this summer, all schools that have 50 percent or more students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunches and have a summer program must operate a summer breakfast program that is open to the community.

U-46 serves about 3,200 free or reduced-price breakfasts to the 4,000 summer school students spokesman Tony Sanders said.

About 17,000 students qualified for free and reduced-priced meals during the school year, Sanders said.

"For our food bank, there's a direct link between poverty, education and nutrition," Donovan said.

"If a child is malnourished, then that child is not going to be fitting the bill in the classroom, not going to participating fully … just feeding them is a great way of breaking the cycle of poverty."