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U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown
Summer Break
Shouldn't Mean Going Hungry for Ohio Children
Last week, I outlined my top priorities for the upcoming year — and I
am getting to work immediately on one of them: renewing and expanding
nutrition programs that ensure Ohio children don’t go hungry,
particularly during the summer months.
One-quarter of Ohio’s children live in households that have experienced
hunger during the past year, and childhood nutrition programs are
critical to providing school lunch and breakfast for these students.
But too many of these children don’t have access to a nutritious meal
when school cafeterias close for the summer.
All Ohio children should be able to count on healthy, nutritious meals
year-round — summer break shouldn’t mean going hungry.
I’ve worked with advocates across the state to raise awareness of the
summer feeding program each year, and last week the Senate Agriculture
Committee voted to advance legislation that includes my bipartisan
Hunger Free Summer for Kids Act.
With school buses often not operating when school is out of session,
many children — particularly in rural areas — have no way to get to the
churches and recreation centers and parks where meals are served. My
legislation would help provide food to children who can’t access summer
feeding sites.
The bill would also allow children to pick up meals and eat them off
the premises, providing flexibility for busy parents who are often
juggling work and child care while their children are out of school.
And it would cut red tape that organizations often face, streamlining
the paperwork and application processes that are hurdles for schools,
faith-based groups, and other organizations trying to serve students.
This provision has broad, bipartisan support, and passed as part of
legislation to reauthorize funding for school lunches, breakfasts and
meals for children and mothers without enough to eat.
All Ohio children should be able to count on healthy, nutritious meals
year-round — the National School Lunch Program is one of the most
successful programs we have at curbing childhood hunger.
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