Feeding America Provides Programs During Summer Months When Children Are at Risk of Hunger

ConAgra Foods Foundation and country music singer and song writer Josh Kelley help alleviate hunger for children during the summer months

CHICAGO, May 16, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- When school is out for summer vacation, millions of children across the country lose access to the free and reduced-price meals they receive during the school year.  

The Summer Food Service Program, run by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), aims to fill that gap, providing children with free, healthy meals during the summer months when children often face missing meals and lack the proper nutrition.

Last year more than 20 million children received free and reduced-price meals during the school year, but only 2.3 million received meals through the Summer Food Service Program.

This summer, in 20 states, 23 food banks in the Feeding America network are receiving a Hunger-Free Summer grant sponsored by ConAgra Foods Foundation.  ConAgra Foods has pledged $5 million over five years to Feeding America to establish the Hunger-Free Summer program.  The funds support programs across the country that help provide more meals to more children.  Key components include continual program outreach and branding, strong community partnerships and the combination of summer meal programs with other enrichment activities.

"Summer puts a stress on families and children who are in the need of healthy and nutritious meals," said Vicki Escarra, president and CEO of Feeding America, the country's largest domestic hunger-relief organization.  "With ConAgra Food Foundation's support we are able to get out into communities where the need is strong and ensure that children will not miss meals or go without proper nutrition while school is out of session."

To support Hunger-Free Summer this year, ConAgra Foods Foundation will host a multi-city tour with country music singer and song writer Josh Kelley.  Kelley will conduct interviews with national and local media via a satellite media tour, radio media tour, and local market interviews throughout the summer to help raise awareness of this issue.

Feeding America food bank recipients of the Hunger-Free Summer grant are:  Redwood Empire Food Bank; Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County; Bread of the Mighty Food Bank; America's Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia; Idaho Foodbank Warehouse, Inc.; Food Finders Food Bank, Inc.; Kansas Food Bank Warehouse; Food Bank of Eastern Michigan; Harvesters-The Community Food Network; Mississippi Food Bank Network; Inter-Faith Food Shuttle; Food Bank for the Heartland; Food Bank of South Jersey; Food Bank of Northern Nevada; Catholic Charities Food Bank of the Southern Tier; Central Pennsylvania Food Bank; Lowcountry Food Bank; Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee; Capital Area Food Bank for Texas, Inc.; Regional East Texas Food Bank; Feeding America Southwest Virginia; Food Bank of the Virgin Peninsula; and Vermont Food Bank.

About Feeding America:

Feeding America provides low-income individuals and families with the fuel to survive and even thrive. As the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief charity, our network members supply food to more than 37 million Americans each year, including 14 million children and 3 million seniors. Serving the entire United States, more than 200 member food banks support 63,000 agencies that address hunger in all of its forms. For more information on how you can fight hunger in your community and across the country, visit feedingamerica.org/. Find us on Facebook at facebook.com/FeedingAmerica or follow our news on Twitter at twitter.com/FeedingAmerica.

ConAgra Foods Foundation

The ConAgra Foods Foundation, through its Nourish Today, Flourish Tomorrow platform, is dedicated to raising awareness of the nearly 17 million children in America who are at risk of hunger and don't have enough food to live active, healthful lives. It aggressively pursues sustainable solutions in the fight against child hunger. And the Foundation is committed to building a community of people who are passionate about ensuring that all kids have access to the food and facts they need to eat nutritiously while living balanced lifestyles and succeeding in school and life. ConAgra Foods Foundation invests in national and local partnerships with high-impact, not-for-profit organizations, such as Feeding America, that take an innovative approach to addressing needs in the core areas of hunger and nutrition education. For more information, please visit www.conagrafoodsfoundation.org or www.facebook.com/ConAgraFoodsFoundation. The ConAgra Foods Foundation is funded solely by ConAgra Foods (NYSE: CAG).

Contacts:
Molly Hart
Feeding America
312-641-5400
[email protected]

Angie Amberg
Fleishman Hillard
314-982-8646
[email protected]
Contact for interview with Josh Kelley

SOURCE Feeding America