United Way GCR, Rensselaer County Department for Youth & Community Partners celebrate 50 Years of Summer Meals & launch 2024 Summer Meals Programs

UWGCR and Summer Meals Collaborative members are encouraging Capital Region children to come together, eat together, and have fun together at more than 60 locations this summer.

Troy, NY (Monday, July 8, 2024) – Joined by the Rensselaer County Department for Youth, Boys & Girls Club of the Capital Area, and County Executive Steve McLaughlin, elected leaders, United Way of the Greater Capital Region (UWGCR) kicked off its 2024 Summer Meals program at Martin Luther King Apartments. The county also celebrated its 50th year by offering summer meals to children throughout the county.

Summer Food Service Program (SFSP)

The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) was created to ensure that children in low-income households would have access to nutritionally balanced meals when school is not in session. The program was created in 1968 as a 3-year pilot project and was permanently authorized as an entitlement program in FY 1975. In 1974, Rensselaer County became a sponsor of the SFSP and operated sites throughout the County to ensure kids had access to this critical nutrition resource. "For one half-century, Rensselaer County has been proud to join community partners like the United Way to keep county kids fed and healthy during the summer months. We are always building for the future in Rensselaer County. This is one of the most important missions in county government and we are again ready to work to bring healthy food, snacks and drinks to locations across the county for the kids," said Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin.

Summer Meals Collaborative

Since the Summer Meals Collaborative was formed in 2013, more than 2.16 million meals have been served to local children at over 80 sites across the Greater Capital Region. The Collaborative has actively partnered and recruited members to offer fun and enriching activities to kids as part of their summer meal experiences. In 2023, 61% of the Collaborative’s sites offered activities such as art, reading, sports and STEM, and the Collaborative membership has grown threefold with 18 member organizations today.

United Way of the Greater Capital Region is a founding member of the Summer Meals Collaborative. The Collaborative formed in recognition that by working together, we can do more to support and sustain nutrition security for kids when school is out. “We celebrate the Summer Meals Collaborative achievements, but we also know that we need to do more. Across New York State, 1 in 5 children face hunger,” UWGCR President and CEO Peter Gannon said. “We know this partnership continues to be a vital resource to kids and families and we know that by focusing on collective action, we can do even more.”

Gannon further stated, “After more than a decade of working together, the Collaborative sees this as more than a meal program. This program is essential for positive childhood development, a critical resource for equitable children’s health outcomes, and an important link from one school year to the next for kids. This is about nourishment in the full sense of the word: body, mind, and soul.”

We know summer is the hungriest time of year for kids. When the last bell rings, thousands of kids across the region are cut off from the healthy meals they get each day at school,” said Liz Lucas, program manager at No Kid Hungry New York.  “Free summer meals, like the nutritious breakfast and lunch distributed by the Summer Meals Collaborative, are critical to ensuring that kids get the food they need to grow and thrive. Summer should be a time of connection, exploration, and fun - and we’re thrilled to be part of a partnership that makes sure that kids have the fuel they need to do just that!"

This summer, Collaborative members are serving meals at more than 60 sites around the Capital Region. Since joining the Collaborative, the Rensselaer County Department for Youth has served over 350,000 meals. This summer, the Department will be running 17 sites and anticipates serving more than 44,000 meals to kids and teens.

Summer EBT

The event also highlighted a new, permanent summer nutrition resource for families: Summer EBT. This new program provides $120 in food benefits to eligible children to cover the cost of food when school is out of session.

Hunger Solutions New York, which aims to alleviate hunger across the state through advocacy at the state and federal levels, has been a collaborative member since the program’s inception. “Summer EBT will work in conjunction with Summer Meals to help fill the gap that occurs when kids lose access to school meals during the summer break,” said Cody Bloomfield, Summer Nutrition Specialist at Hunger Solutions New York. “This brand-new federal nutrition program will provide critical support to New York’s children and families. We applaud New York’s policymakers for opting into Summer EBT for its inaugural year and are grateful for the ongoing work of state agency administrators at the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance and the New York State Education Department who are implementing the program. Hunger Solutions New York looks forward to supporting Summer EBT and summer meals this summer and beyond to ensure New York’s kids have consistent access to the food they need.”

Most eligible children will automatically receive Summer EBT food benefits; however, some families may need to apply. Information on Summer EBT, including the application for families that need to apply can be found at otda.ny.gov/SummerEBT. Children can receive Summer EBT food benefits and also participate in Summer Meals in their community.

Find a Summer Meals Site

Families can find a Summer Meals site in their community by calling 211, texting their ZIP code to 898-211, or by visiting unitedwaygcr.org/summermeals. Anyone who lives (or is traveling) outside of the Greater Capital Region can find summer meals across New York by visiting www.summermealsny.org

Support Summer Meals

Anyone looking to support the Summer Meals Collaborative can donate here.

Celebrating 50 Years of SFSP and launching the 2024 Summer Meals Season