Hunger-Free Summer $20,000 Grant Awarded to Capital Area Food Bank of Texas

AUSTIN, Texas, July 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Capital Area Food Bank of Texas is bringing more meals to more children this summer with the help of a $20,000 Hunger-Free Summer grant. In the Austin area, more than 155,000 children are food insecure, which means they don't always know where their next meal is coming from. The grant, awarded by the ConAgra Foods® Foundation and Feeding America®, will allow the Capital Area Food Bank to expand its summer meal programs from 23 locations to 30 sites in Austin.

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Country singer-songwriter Josh Kelley is visiting food banks across the country to bring further attention to the issue of child hunger, especially during the summer months. On Wednesday, July 20, Kelley is in Austin at one of the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas' summer food program sites, the Boys and Girls Club of the Austin Area. While visiting the Boys and Girls Club, Kelley is volunteering his time by serving lunch, participating in arts and crafts, and singing with the children.

"Now that we've approached the halfway point of summer, a time when many children can't depend on the free or reduced-priced meals they receive throughout the school year, giving children access to nutritious meals becomes ever so important," said Kelley. "As a new dad it is hard to imagine that millions of children face hunger and don't know where they will get their next meal. I am proud to be visiting sites like the Boys and Girls Club of Austin Area to spend time with the kids, and also celebrate the volunteers and staff members who are making great strides in an effort toward ending child hunger in their communities."

This summer as many as 18 million children may face an increased risk of hunger because they do not have access to the free or reduced-priced meals they receive during the school year. The state of Texas has one of highest rates of child food insecurity and is currently ranked fourth with more than 1.8 million children who may not know where their next meal is coming from, according to Feeding America.  

"In the counties we serve, more than 25 percent of children are struggling with hunger. Receiving this Hunger-Free Summer grant from ConAgra Foods Foundation and Feeding America will allow us to expand our summer food program to seven new sites and build upon partnerships with organizations like the Boys and Girls Club," said Hank Perret, president and CEO of Capital Area Food Bank of Texas. "Through the generosity and ongoing support of partners like ConAgra Foods Foundation and Feeding America we expect to serve 40,000 lunches to children over the course of the summer."

The goal of the Hunger-Free Summer program is to help participating Feeding America network food banks serve an additional one million meals and feed 10,000 more children through their unique and innovative, community-based programs. ConAgra Foods Foundation's funding helps ensure that food banks will have the means to help more children get the nutritious foods they need, but may not have access to because of financial difficulties their families face. The need for assistance is that much greater during summer months when children are no longer receiving free or reduced-priced meals through the USDA's school lunch and breakfast programs.

"It is hard for many of us to imagine that so many children in our own backyard, whether in Austin or almost any other community in the United States, don't have access to food on a regular basis," said Kori Reed, vice president, Foundation and Cause.  "Hunger is a national issue with community-based solutions, which is why we partner with the  Capital Area Food Bank in Texas to reach more kids, making a difference one meal at a time. "

For the complete list of 2011 Hunger-Free Summer grant recipients or to learn more about the program, visit HungerFreeSummerTour.org.

About Capital Area Food Bank of Texas

The mission of the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas (CAFB) is to nourish hungry people and lead the community in ending hunger. Since 1982, CAFB in collaboration with more than 350 partner agencies has been helping Central Texans in need providing healthy food, nutritional program assistance and education, so they can make better choices at mealtime. In the past 12 months, CAFB distributed more than 25 million pounds of food to 300,000 Central Texans in its 21 county service territory. For more information on the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas and its programs, visit www.austinfoodbank.org or call 512-282-2111.

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 61,000 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 www.feedingamerica.org; find us on Facebook at facebook.com/FeedingAmerica; or follow our news on Twitter at twitter.com/FeedingAmerica.

About 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).

SOURCE ConAgra Foods Foundation