Each summer, Foodlink and other community partners collaborate to offer Summer Food Service Program meals (known as Summer Meals) to all children in the City of Rochester. Foodlink and the Rochester City School District serve as the main vendors, while the City of Rochester, Common Ground Health and the Rochester Area Community Foundation offer additional support to help feed some of our region’s most food-insecure children.
A recent report helps illustrate the need that rises when school lets out and parents must account for two extra meals, per child, per day. According to survey data, many Rochester children live in communities with food-insecurity rates between 30% and 40%.
Although there are approximately 70 sites that are open to the public throughout the city, some kids still have trouble accessing a Summer Meals site. Foodlink’s Mobile Summer Meals initiative helps bridge that gap for many parents. Through support from RACF, and through a generous grant from the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation, we were able to purchase a new vehicle (pictured below — thanks Bob Johnson Chevrolet for your great service!) to help transport more nutritious meals to locations without a nearby Summer Meals site.
Additionally, Summer Meals will move beyond the city limits for the first time. Through a grant from the United Way of Wayne County, we are piloting sites in rural communities this summer. One site in Williamson has been confirmed, and a few others may follow. We will update the list above with any charges, as necessary.
