A program to provide healthy food for low-income children who might not have enough to eat during the summer months will be piloted in Douglas, Lyon and Washoe counties, the Nevada State Health Division announced on Tuesday.
The division, in partnership with the Nevada Department of Education, Child Nutrition and School Health and the Food Bank of Northern Nevada was recently awarded over $478,000 to participate in the 2012 Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer for Children Demonstration Program.
To be eligible children must be currently certified for free or reduced-price school meals. From the eligible pool of 25,000 families in the three counties, 5,000 will be randomly selected to receive a summer electronic benefit transfer card, which they can use to buy foods like milk, cheese, cereal, eggs, juice, whole grains, beans, peanut butter, and fresh fruits and vegetables.
The award are a result of requirements included by congress in the fiscal year 2010 appropriations. That act required the U.S. Department of Agriculture to test innovative ways to address the critical need of providing low-income children with access to healthy nutrition during the summer. This household-based project will provide important information about the impact of cutting-edge interventions on achieving real progress in the fight against hunger among our children during the summer months.
“Some children really depend on school lunch programs,” said Richard Whitley, Health Division Administrator. “When summer arrives, a substitute is not always readily available.”
The summer food benefit card becomes available for participants to use the day after the last day of school in the summer and expires on the first day of school in the fall. The program is 100 percent federally funded.
The division, in partnership with the Nevada Department of Education, Child Nutrition and School Health and the Food Bank of Northern Nevada was recently awarded over $478,000 to participate in the 2012 Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer for Children Demonstration Program.
To be eligible children must be currently certified for free or reduced-price school meals. From the eligible pool of 25,000 families in the three counties, 5,000 will be randomly selected to receive a summer electronic benefit transfer card, which they can use to buy foods like milk, cheese, cereal, eggs, juice, whole grains, beans, peanut butter, and fresh fruits and vegetables.
The award are a result of requirements included by congress in the fiscal year 2010 appropriations. That act required the U.S. Department of Agriculture to test innovative ways to address the critical need of providing low-income children with access to healthy nutrition during the summer. This household-based project will provide important information about the impact of cutting-edge interventions on achieving real progress in the fight against hunger among our children during the summer months.
“Some children really depend on school lunch programs,” said Richard Whitley, Health Division Administrator. “When summer arrives, a substitute is not always readily available.”
The summer food benefit card becomes available for participants to use the day after the last day of school in the summer and expires on the first day of school in the fall. The program is 100 percent federally funded.
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