BLACKFEET COMMUNITY NUTRITION COUNCIL
Browning, MT
Nominated by: Senator Max Baucus

The Blackfeet Community Nutrition Council has developed numerous programs that include the USDA Team Nutrition Program, which has served to educate and encourage their youth and community at large to eat more fruits and vegetables. In conjunction with this, they are making efforts to educate the community on the dangers of diabetes, as many of their students have elevated blood pressure. The Browning School District offers the Summer Food Service Program to ensure that Blackfeet children receive nutritious meals. The Blackfeet Community Nutrition Council has partnered with the Browning School District Transportation department in order to transport the children in the community to and from the feeding site each day that the Summer Program operates.

 
PORTLAND SUMMER FOOD COMMITTEE (PSFC)
Portland, OR
Nominated by: Representative Earl Blumenauer

Portland Public Schools (PPS) has historically been the biggest sponsor of Oregon’s Summer Food Service Program (SFS). This program has served thousands of children in Portland, OR and neighboring areas each summer. The schools operate on a very narrow cost margin, and have often had to cover costs in excess of the federal reimbursement by using school funds. SFS was almost dropped due to current budget shortfalls until the he Portland Summer Food Committee (PSFC), made up of a group of concerned citizens, was created. The PSFC has already raised $16,000 that will be used to pay any costs that federal reimbursement will not cover. Because of this effort, SFS will go on in Portland schools and recreation programs as planned.

 
SAN ANTONIO FOOD BANK (SAFB)
San Antonio, TX
Nominated by: Representative Henry Bonilla

With an expansive network of over 200 food banks, the SAFB provides 22 million pounds of fresh nutritious food to low-income families in the city of San Antonio and 15 surrounding counties. This summer marks the second year that the SAFB will have completely managed a full-scale USDA Summer Feeding Program for low-income children, providing as many as 1,500 bag lunches to impoverished children in San Antonio. Additionally, the SAFB has six “Kid’s Cafes,” after-school feeding sites for disadvantaged children who need a safe, nurturing place to recreate and gain homework assistance.

 
FLORIDA IMPACT
Tallahassee, FL
Nominated by: Representative Allen Boyd

Florida Impact’s reputation in the fight against hunger for children has become renown among local and state leaders in Florida, as well as in national anti-hunger circles. Florida Impact’s first project was to conduct the Florida component of the Community Childhood Hunger Identification Project (CCHIP), on which the late Governor Lawton Chiles, as well as other prominent political and business leaders serve. One of the agency’s current projects is leading focus groups of community leaders in Florida counties that do not off the Summer Food Service Program, allowing these community leaders to develop ways to enhance summer youth programs already in place.

 

THE IDAHO FOOD BANK
Boise/Lewiston/Pocatello, ID
Nominated by: Senator Mike Crapo

The Idaho Food Bank has excelled at providing snacks to children through the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). The Food Bank serves approximately 2,500 children at 65 Kids Café sites throughout the state, offering wholesome food and nutrition education. Kids Cafes operate in after-school programs in school and community facilities. Not only do these programs provide wholesome food, but they also offer nutrition education to the children they serve. At some sites, kids even have the opportunity to collect meat, vegetables, grains, and fruits to take home over the weekend. Building on their success with CACFP, the Food Bank envisions Kids Cafes operating in every county in Idaho and plans to open additional sites are currently under way.

 
GREATER PITTSBURGH COMMUNITY FOOD BANK
Pittsburgh, PA
Nominated by: Representative Mike Doyle

The Great Pittsburgh Food Bank works diligently to reach out to the hungry children of the region through the administration of four community programs: an after-school programs network, a Cooking and Nutrition (C.A.N.) Program, a Farm Stand Project, and a Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP). The Food Bank also works to educate children about the issues of hunger and poverty while emphasizing the value of community service. Each year more than 1,000 children and young adults from various pre-school, elementary, middle and high schools, colleges, religious education classes, Girl Scouts, and Boy Scouts participate in their educational programs.

 
SECOND HARVEST FOOD BANK OF SANTA CLARA AND SAN MATEO COUNTIES
San Jose/San Carlos, CA
Nominated by: Representatives Anna Eshoo, Mike Honda and Zoe Lofgren

The Second Harvest Food Bank has successfully launched several initiatives that promoted outreach, increased community partnerships, and addressed gaps in services in providing food to hungry children. As a result of their outreach efforts, 187,000 multilingual (English, Spanish, and Vietnamese) flyers that contained contact information on food assistance programs in the area were distributed to elementary and middle schools, and an additional 10,000 flyers were sent to low-income families with minor children, Food Stamp and WIC clinics, county and city libraries, as well as agencies affiliated with the Bank. With their increase community partnerships, a number of summer feeding sites that provided free breakfast and/or lunch to low-income children rose significantly from year before. And, in addressing gaps in services, the Bank identified agencies that work with low-income children that were unable to link with the federal Summer Feeding Program due to their lack of staff or space constraints. The Food Bank then provided over 10,000 pre-made breakfast, lunch and snack bags to the agencies for their summer children’s programs.

 
THE NATIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT CHILD NUTRITION SERVICES, SAN DIEGO COUNTY
National City, CA
Nominated by: Representative Bob Filner

The National School District, encompassing preschool through grade six in ten schools, implemented a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Paperwork Reduction Pilot Project in 1992 and has eliminated the schools’ meal application process. Meals are provided to all children at no cost, students have equal access to the program, and participation has steadily increased. Over the years, The National School District has continued to research and apply for new programs to support its mission. In 1999, for example, the District implemented the After-School Snack Program, and last year 139,443 snacks were served. In 2000 they worked with the California Department of Education Nutrition Services to develop a Food Safe School Model Tool Kit, and in 2003, the District will be participating in an Obesity Prevention Grant.

 
CITY OF ST. LOUIS DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES
St. Louis, MO
Nominated by: Representative Richard Gephardt

The City of St. Louis Department of Human Services annually sponsors the Summer Food Service Program with the help of grant funds from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. In 2001, breakfast and lunch were provided at 135 locations with 10,500 children being served daily. The Department of Human Services, recognizing that this represented just a fourth of the number of children who needed food, launched a campaign, with the help of the St. Louis Mayor Francis G. Slay, to recruit additional sites. Within a week, the distribution sites had risen to over 200 throughout the city and over 17,000 children were provided a daily nutritious breakfast and lunch last summer. It is expected that this program will increase the number of meals served this year to over 25,000.

 
MCKINSTRY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Waterloo, IA
Nominated by: Senator Tom Harkin

McKinstry Elementary School makes an effort to integrate sound nutrition throughout the fabric of the educational environment at school. For school year 2003, McKinstry applied for and was accepted as one of the few schools to participate in the fruit and vegetable pilot program authorized in the recently passed farm bill. As a result, over 900 pieces of fruit and vegetables are being distributed daily to 391 children from kindergarten to fifth grade. McKinstry has also worked to combine nutrition education with the fruit and vegetable pilot program to maximize benefits to not just students, but also their families. For example, parents are offered nutrition education in the parent room through the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program.

 
TEMPE PAPPAS REGIONAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Tempe, AZ
Nominated by: Representative J.D. Hayworth

The Tempe Pappas School is part of the Maricopa County Regional School District and serves children who are homeless and those in need of alternative education. To assist homeless families and to fight childhood hunger, the Tempe Pappas School fills the nutrition needs of its students and their families in many innovative ways. The school provides all students with a nutritionally complete breakfast, lunch and healthy mid-day snack. Since the meals provided by the school are often the only ones a child will have during the day, the school, with strong community and voluntary support, sends food boxes or back-packs with the children at the end of the day. Full-time staff and volunteers at the Tempe Pappas School take, sort, and distribute not only food, but clothing, hygiene supplies, and other necessities that are not typically found in a traditional elementary school, thereby eliminating barriers that often stand in the way to a homeless student’s right to a quality education.

 
THE BRATTLEBORO HOUSING AUTHORITY
Brattleboro, VT
Nominated by: Senator Jeffords, Senator Leahy, and Representative Sanders

The Brattleboro Housing Authority has been successful in making the federally funded Summer Food Service Program available at seven sites around the community to more than 175 of Brattleboro’s most disadvantaged children. Before this effort, Brattleboro was the largest town in Vermont not offering the Summer Food Service Program, leaving hundreds of school aged children without a dependable source of summer meals. The Housing Authority’s ingenuity in bringing together varied resources within the Brattleboro community has not only provided meals and supervision to hundreds of children in the summer months, but it has also raised awareness of childhood hunger in the community.

 
THE GROW CLINIC
Boston, MA
Nominated by: Senator Edward Kennedy

The Grow Clinic is directed by Dr. Deborah Frank, a pediatrician at Boston medical Center who regularly testifies before Congress on the hunger crisis in America and the debilitating effects of malnutrition on child development. This clinic is a high-risk clinic for young children (69% of the patients are under age 2) who have severe symptoms of malnutrition. Children who are treated at the clinic are so seriously underweight that they cannot be cared for in primary care settings. At the Grow Clinic, they receive urgently needed medical care, and their parents receive nutrition counseling to teach them how to keep their children healthy on shoe-string budgets. The clinic has an outstanding success rate, with 85% of children treated having their malnutrition resolved and resuming normal growth.

 
RACHEL’S TABLE
Worcester, MA
Nominated by: Representative James P. McGovern

Rachel’s Table is volunteer-based organization that serves the homeless and hungry in Greater Worcester, MA. One program that makes Rachel’s Table stand out in the community is the Children’s Milk Fund, which was formed in 1992. Responding to an overwhelming need for fresh milk expressed from the shelters and agencies that they work with, Rachel’s Table purchases and delivers over 450 gallons of milk to local agencies that provide aid to children. Currently, the Children’s Milk Fund aids 3,500-4,000 children in the area. In addition, during the summer months, when schools are out of session, this program provides breakfast and lunch programs, which presently serve over half the children who attend Worcester Public Schools.

 
PUEBLO SCHOOL DISTRICT 60
Pueblo, CO
Nominated by: Representative Scott McInnis

The Pueblo School District 60 has 33 schools and 3 charter schools serving 17,738 students in Pueblo, CO with 60% of the students being minorities and 57% of the students qualifying for free or reduced price meals. School District 60 has aggressively engaged the fight against hunger by increasing access to free school breakfast and lunch. School District 60 has increased participation in the school breakfast program 133% since 1997, and is currently serving 5,400 breakfast meals free of charge daily. During this same time period, the lunch program has increased 22%, serving over 7,000 lunches free of charge daily.

 
JUST HARVEST: A CENTER FOR ACTION AGAINST HUNGER
Pittsburgh, PA
Nominated by: Representative Tim Murphy

Since 1995, Just Harvest has been in the forefront of the Summer Food Program campaign to ensure awareness and increase participation. This organization handles inquiries from children and parents about food sites, and distributes information to schools and members of the community. Just Harvest has also worked to improve the quality of the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program by convincing county officials to keep two local offices from closing as a result of funding issues. Just Harvest recruited after-school programs in participation in the CACFP After Schools Meals program and helped those programs attend mandatory trainings.
They have also spoken out in defense of school breakfast and lunch programs at public hearings, and ensure that Senators, Members of Congress, and state legislators are aware of the needs of Pennsylvania’s children.

 
SECOND HARVEST FOOD BANK OF METROLINA
Charlotte, NC
Nominated by: Representative Sue Myrick

Since 1993, Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina has combined already established after- school activities with a nutritious meal and provides meals on site at least twice a week in a safe and accessible environment. Second Harvest’s Kids Café Program is available to food bank partner agencies and provides nutritious meals and snacks to children at risk through two feeding programs. Their Kids Café Express sites provide highly nutritious snacks while the Kids Café provides full meals. In addition, two nutrition programs focus on long-term changes: “Kids Rock” promotes personal development and provides tools for making health, proactive decisions, and “Junior Chef” is their youth leadership development program which provides mentor relationships, nutrition education and life skills training for middle and high school Kids Café participants.

 
SOUTH SIDE SETTLEMENT HOUSE
Columbus, OH
Nominated by: Representative Deborah Pryce

The South Side Settlement House has been serving the south side of Columbus, Ohio since 1899. The Settlement House has remained committed to meeting the essential life needs of the largely immigrant and industrial worker population through supportive activities, building relationships and offering quality nutritional services. It has been committed to helping the community by filling the nutrition gap for many children and families and offering free quality meals throughout the week. For more than 10 years it has administered USDA’s nutrition programs to provide daily nourishment, particularly to children living in the now economically depressed low-income south side community in Columbus. The Settlement House annually serves close to 13,000 quality meals to over 1,500 children ages three to sixteen enrolled in their all day child-care, after-school, or residential summer camp programs. It has also developed two successful outreach initiatives aimed at removing barriers to access between the children and nutrition programs.

 
WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY COOPERATIVE EXTENSION, KING COUNTY
Renton, WA
Nominated by: Representative Adam Smith

WSU Cooperative Extension in King County provides the “4H Food $ense” program to low-income communities. Some of the innovative program activities include integrated nutrition and garden curriculums for grades 1-6, provision of seeds and cooking demonstration materials, and training for garden activities. Students learn how to plant seeds, tend gardens, and feed themselves with nutritious produce, confirming research that indicates youth will consume more vegetables and healthy foods if they grow their own produce. The “4H Food $ense” program helps children adopt behaviors that improve their diet and lifestyle and addresses one of the highest hunger rates in the country.

 
HARNEY COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT #3 (BURNES-HINES SCHOOL DISTRICT)
Burns, OR
Nominated by: Senator Gordon Smith and Representative Greg Walden

The “At Risk and Summer Meals Program” of Harney County School District #3 is improving the quality of and access to child nutrition programs in the targeted area. The program feeds 760 youth during the summer months when they have no access to regular school meals. The program also mobilizes community volunteers and stretches federal funds, while educating the local community about hunger.

 
THE ELY CHAPMAN EDUCATION FOUNDATION, WASHINGTON COUNTY
Marietta, OH
Nominated by: Representative Ted Strickland

Established in 1999, the Ely Chapman Education Foundation (ECEF) is a community based non-profit organization that provides after-school and extracurricular educational activities for at-risk youth in the Washington County, Ohio, region. Beginning in the summer of 2002, ECEF opened the first public USDA summer feeding program. ECEF opened eight feeding sites and provided up to 300 meals per day for summer feeding. In 2003, the program will be expanding to open three more feeding sites in the summer program. Other activities include providing food service training for youth and establishing a “Living Rivers Café” that offers menu items for the community during lunch hours.

 
THE BOOTHEEL FOOD BANK
Sikeston, MO
Nominated by: Senator James Talent

The Bootheel Food Bank began in 1985 and is a unique organization that provides nutritional food and support to individuals and families who are between pay periods and need assistance in order to make it to their next paycheck. The service that they provide allows individuals to focus on their job and not on where their next meal will come from, decreasing the likelihood of them becoming dependent on public assistance. It was recognized as on of President Bush’s “Thousand Points of Light” and has received a Certificate of Appreciation from the United States Department of Agriculture and Catherine Bertini for its participation in the Food Bank Demonstration Project.

 
SERVE, INC.
Manassas, VA
Nominated by: Representative Frank Wolf

SERVE provides assistance to families through improving the access to and the quality of a child nutritional program. Children of families residing at their Family Care Shelter are provided with three nutritional meals every day, which includes a packed lunch while they are in school. They also receive nutritional after-school snacks, as well. SERVE also provides children at the Family Care Shelter with activities that include teaching them how to improve their health and well being. In addition, SERVE operates a program, called Food Closet, where approximately $1 million in emergency food assistance is provided to local residents each year. Further, SERVE generously provides assistance to impoverished individuals and families, recognizing the fact that children of these families require special nutritional needs and education.

 

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