Press Release: Feeding Kids this Summer
For more information, contact:
Adriana Riano, Program Coordinator
Oak Park River Forest Food Pantry
708.386.1324 ext. 1104
adriana@gobeyondhunger.org
For immediate release
Meet Up & Eat Up: During the summer months, free meals will be provided at 2 area locations, New Life Ministries and Light of Liberty Church in partnership with Oak Park River Forest Food Pantry. Kids and teens 18 and younger can receive free meals without proof of income or application. In addition to meals, site attendees are provided with a safe place to play and activities to engage in.
June 12 to August 18:
Light of Liberty Church
2 Washington Blvd, Oak Park, IL
Lunch: 11:30 am to 1:30 pm
July 10 to August 18:
New Life Ministries
634 N. Austin Blvd, Oak Park, IL
Breakfast: 9:00 am to 10 am
Lunch: noon to 1:00 pm
Closed summer meal sites: In addition to Meat Up & Eat Up sites, Oak Park River Forest Food Pantry has once again partnered with Oak Park and River Forest High School and Oak Park Education Foundation to provide free meals to students participating in summer programing.
In partnership with Oak Park and River Forest High School, Oak Park River Forest Food Pantry will help provide free meals to all students participating in the School’s 8-9 Connection and Credit Recovery summer programs. Students participating in these summer courses are disproportionately eligible for the free or reduced lunch program during the school year. Providing students with breakfast and lunch allows them to better focus on course material and retain the information for the coming school year.
Additionally, Oak Park River Forest Food Pantry will provide free boxed lunches and snacks to scholarship students in Oak Park Education Foundation’s BASE Camp summer program. To receive a scholarship for BASE Camp, children must be eligible for the free or reduced lunch program. By providing lunches and snacks to scholarship participants, they can fully enjoy the summer programing.
Last year, Oak Park River Forest Food Pantry and partner organizations provided over 11,000 meals and snacks to kids and teens during the summer. As of FY2016, an estimated 1,800 students in Oak Park are eligible for free or reduced lunches .
Summer break can be hard for low-income families who face the lack of free or reduced-price school lunches and additional childcare requirements. 32 percent of low-income households report not having enough food during the summer. By providing meals during the summer learning loss can be mitigated, helping to close the achievement gap .
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About Oak Park River Forest Food Pantry
For over 35 years, Oak Park River Forest Food Pantry has been providing hunger-relief services to reduce local hunger. Each year, the Food Pantry provides 16,000 families with an average of 67 pounds of nutritious food plus access to services including home delivery, summer meals, benefits counseling, and nutrition education. For more information, visit www.oprffoodpantry.org.