MEDIA ALERT

WHAT: Lisa Pino, Deputy USDA Administrator of the nation’s food and nutrition programs, will be in Burlington for a summer food kick-off celebration

WHERE: Roosevelt Park in Burlington’s Old North End

WHEN: June 26, 2009 from 11:30am-12:15pm

WHY: Because free summer food and enrichment programs give low-income children a chance to remain healthy and have learning opportunities in the summer

SUMMER FOOD FOR CHILDREN KICK-OFF CELEBRATION

June 26, 2009 (Burlington, VT) – One in six children in Vermont is at risk of going hungry. Over 29,000 Vermont children rely on free or reduced price school meals. Sarah Kunz, nutrition and policy specialist with the Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger, says “When schools close in June, many of these children lose their most important source of balanced nutrition. Studies indicate that low-income kids are more likely to gain weight and fall behind their peers academically during the summer months.”

Across Vermont, federally funded Summer Nutrition Programs provide nutritious meals to low-income children through age 18 when school is not in session. On June 26 Lisa Pino, Deputy Administrator of the nation’s food and nutrition programs at the USDA, Vermont Secretary of Human Services, Rob Hofmann, Burlington Mayor Bob Kiss, the Burlington Department of Parks and Recreation, and the Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger team up to kick-off 2009 summer food programs in Burlington’s Roosevelt Park. The Burlington Firefighters Association and the City Market fruit people will be on hand to greet over 50 children and help promote the importance of the federally-funded summer food program for the health and well-being of Vermont’s children.

An informational roundtable discussion about the Federal Child Nutrition Reauthorization will follow the event. Congress will soon review the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004. This legislation, which is set to expire on September 30, 2009, creates the framework for all of the Federal child nutrition programs, including the School Breakfast and the National School Lunch Programs, the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC).

For more information call or email Ann Janda at 865-0255 (cell 201-923-0385) or at the Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger or Dan Cahill at 865-7091 or dcahill@ci.burlington.vt.us at Burlington Department of Parks and Recreation

About the Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger: The Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger is a statewide nonprofit organization that works with state agencies and community groups to develop sustainable hunger solutions. Since 1993 the Campaign’s outreach programs have substantially enhanced Vermont’s nutrition safety net and increased access to nutritious foods.

About the Burlington Parks and Recreation Summer Nutrition Drop In Program: Burlington Parks and Recreation provided free, nutritious lunches and countless recreational activities to 183 children with 2,560 total visits to summer food program sites in 2008. The children who participate in the program engage in fun recreational activities and learn about good nutrition, which can create life-long positive habits and a healthy lifestyle.

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