Council Helps Kickoff Summer Food Program
For more than 35 years, the City of Columbus’ Recreation and
Parks Department has been coordinating the Summer Food Program to help make
sure that children have access to healthy meals during the summer break. There are more than 270 sites in Franklin County
that participate in the program that will serve more than 650,000 meals through
the middle of August. Recreation and
Parks Committee chair Jaiza Page joined leaders from the Children’s Hunger
Alliance and Ohio Department of Education at Dodge Recreation Center in
Franklinton to serve the meals to area children.
“Nutritious meals
during the summer months will lead to more healthy, active children who will
then return to school ready to learn because we prevented a ‘summer slide’ in
their education,” said Councilmember Page (speaking at the lectern in first picture below), who also heads the City Council’s Education Committee. “I recently sponsored legislation to help
expand this program so hundreds more children can participate this summer at
even more sites than ever before.”
The highlight of the event was the unveiling of a new food
truck purchased by Recreation and Parks with the help of Councilmember Page and
Council President Ginther (at left in first picture and in center in middle picture). The truck
will take meals into even more neighborhoods, increasing access to healthy food
where it is needed most.
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