While summer should be a time of fun, exploration and relaxation, many children are left without the nutrition they need to learn, grow and thrive. More than 21 million children lose access to free or reduced-cost meals once the school year ends, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). To ensure that children in Rome have access to food year-round, the Rome Floyd County YMCA is offering free healthy meals and snacks through its summer food program, thanks to a $7,500 grant funded by the Walmart Foundation.

The Y has partnered with the Walmart Foundation to address child hunger in communities, with a focus on increasing participation in the USDA’s Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), which provides free meals to children aged 18 and under while school is out. According to the Food Research and Action Center, only in one in seven children who depend on free or reduced-cost meals during the school year received meals though the SFSP last summer. This summer, more than 300 Ys nationwide will offer summer food programs with a collective goal to serve 5 million healthy meals and snacks to 100,000 children. Here Rome, the Y plans to serve 150 meals daily and/or snacks to help 150 of children stay well-nourished.

“For some children in our communities, the end of the school year means end of meals,” said Jeff Sinnock, Park Director, Rome Floyd County YMCA. “At the Y, we are focused on making sure children stay healthy and well-nourished. Thanks to the partnership with the Walmart Foundation, our Y will be able to provide meals to children in the community who need them most.”

“At Walmart, we recognize the need to support the development of our nation’s youth,” said Sylvia Mathews Burwell, president of the Walmart Foundation. “We know that providing access to healthy meals during the summer months will enable students to return to school healthy, prepared and ready to succeed. By working closely with Rome Floyd County YMCA, we can help kids have better summers and, ultimately, better lives.”

As part of the Rome Floyd County YMCA’s summer food program, children aged 18 and under will continue to receive two meals and a snack a day. Not only will this help hundreds of children stay well-nourished, active and energized all summer long, but it also will alleviate the strain on family food budgets when school is out. As a leading nonprofit committed to strengthening community through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility, the Y is focused on ensuring that all children have access to food and maintain good health.

Nationally, the Y is a partner in the Walmart Foundation’s 2012 Summer Giving Campaign, which has committed more than $20 million in grants to expand nutrition, learning and employment programs for elementary, middle and high school students in more than 350 communities. The Walmart Foundation contributed a $5 million grant to YMCA of the USA (Y-USA) to address child hunger. Y-USA, in turn, passes the funding along in the form of grants to participating YMCAs.

In addition to being involved with Rome City and Floyd County Schools as an open site for summer food programs, grant funding from the Walmart Foundation has enabled the Rome YMCA to extend our feeding program to children in the evenings at Grizzard Park.

To learn more about the Rome Floyd County YMCA summer food program, visit ymca.net/summer-food-program.

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