State officials in early child care and learning are asking charitable and other groups to help serve meals to needy children next summer.
The Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning is looking for eligible organizations to sponsor the Summer Food Service Program in their communities in 2016.
The food service program, funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, serves healthy meals to children during the summer months when school is not in session. DECAL administers the program in Georgia.
“Providing healthy meals to children during the summer months is critical to the continued development and overall health and wellness of Georgia’s youngest citizens,” said DECAL’s Nutrition Services Director, Falita Flowers, in a released statement.
The food service program reimburses nonprofit and government organizations for providing free meals to eligible children in low-income areas during the summer months.
DECAL is targeting the following counties for 2016 as part of the program: Calhoun, Clinch, Glascock, Lanier, Oglethorpe, Schley, Seminole, Taliaferro and Webster. Over 78 percent of the children in each of these counties qualify for free or reduced-rate meals. Many do not have access to nutritious meals when they are not in school.
Sponsors can be public or private nonprofit schools; universities, colleges or camps; units of local government; and private nonprofit organizations, including faith-based organizations considered tax exempt by the IRS.
For more information on becoming a sponsor, visit DECAL's website.
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