PORTLAND, Ore. /eNewsChannels/ — Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon is excited to announce a new partnership with the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) to distribute grants to afterschool programs to help feed more kids in Oregon.
We all know that kids do better in school when they get good nutrition and their stomachs are not growling while they are trying to learn, yet Oregon has one of the highest childhood hunger rates in the nation. More than 184,000 K-12 students in Oregon are responsible for taking care of themselves after school at a time when hunger is likely to occur. Many eat lunch at school around noon but go without food until their parents get home around 6pm. Some kids go to afterschool programs that do not provide meals or snacks.
Fortunately, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) reimburses afterschool programs for serving nutritious meals and snacks to children and youth through age 18 in neighborhoods that qualify. However, many communities have been unable to start a program or expand service to more children due to expenses related to start-up and expansion. Last year the Oregon legislature acknowledged these costs, and allocated $144,750 to be distributed as one-time grant funds to afterschool programs. These funds will help feed more kids through the At-Risk Afterschool Meal and Snack Program.
Afterschool programs that are run by schools, nonprofits and other organizations can apply for grants of up to $10,000 per organization to cover expenses such as foodservice equipment, fees for sanitation inspections, repairs to pass health inspections, outreach activities and materials, transportation, and some staffing costs.
The ODE Child Nutrition Programs contracted with Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon to administer the grants and provide outreach support to sponsors.
Grant applications will be received from July 1, 2012 – February 28, 2013, or until all grant funds are expended. After school programs that are interested in applying should go to www.oregonhunger.org/afterschoolgrant for more information and application materials.
To learn more about the At-Risk Afterschool Meal and Snack Program: http://www.ode.state.or.us/search/page/?id=1154 .
For more information about Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon, go to http://www.oregonhunger.org .
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