When school's out, millions of kids go hungry
A A record 21.7 million
American kids get free or reduced-price lunch during at school. But when summer
vacation starts, the vast majority of them go without this essential,
federally funded benefit. Fewer than 4 million kids – or just 18% of those in
the school lunch program – are fed through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s
summer food program. While that’s a record number for the 40-year-old
initiative, many advocates and government officials say more needs to be done.
B “In the summer, when those
school meals disappear, children find themselves hungry and with few options,”
said Duke Storen, a senior director at Share Our Strength, which aims to end
child hunger. “It impacts their health and well-being and contributes to learning
loss.” One of the top hurdles for the summer meals effort is the federal
requirement that the kids receive the food at an approved location and eat it
on-site. The rationale is to ensure
that the children are the ones actually consuming the meals. But it’s not easy
for kids to get to the meal sites, especially in suburbia, where poverty is
growing. Also, the weather can be a factor, as can violence in certain
cities. The increased number of children in need has prompted some local
officials to try new ways to reach them in the summer months. They are bringing
meals to more locations through buses or trucks and adding activities to draw
the kids there.
C Traditionally, the city
provided federally funded summer meals at about 70 recreation centers and
camps. This year, it launched GrubUp, which will expand its reach to 34
pools, playgrounds, libraries and other new sites through a food truck. Funded
by $90,000 in grants, the truck will also attend festivals and other community
events. Oftentimes, it will accompany the Roving Art Cart, which traverses the
city offering arts and crafts programs for kids.
D “Where we can find the kids,
we are going to take the meals to them,” said Jim Griffin, director of Pittsburgh’s parks and
recreation department, which serves up to two free meals a day at most of its
locations. Another new activity aimed at attracting and feeding children over
the summer is the Kids Cook program, sponsored by the Greater Pittsburgh
Community Food Bank. In addition to receiving their summer meal, the children
will learn about healthy eating and make treats to take home, such as black
bean salsa, banana pancakes, flatbread and granola bars. It's the first time
the food bank has offered Kids Cook when school is out of session.
E Through these efforts, city
officials hope to boost the number
of children receiving meals by 10% to at least 7,600 this summer. Still, that
means only three of 10 Pittsburgh
kids in the school lunch program will receive meals over the summer.
rationale
– důvod
boost –
zvýšit
1) Read the article and match each of the headings to
a paragraph.
1 Children
in the suburbs are hungry in the summer
2 Meals are offered in the centres and camps
3
Children are taught about healthy diet
4 Still only
30% children will get their meals
5 Poor
children are fed through summer food program
2) Read the article and answer the questions.
1 Where do
children in need in the US
take their meals during the summer?
2 Where do
they get food in the summer?
3 What
factors influence their starving?
4 Who helps
starving children? How?
5 How many
children might be helped by the project?
3) Explain the following words and phrases.
1 summer
vacation
2 learning
loss
3 poverty
is growing
4 children
in need
5 recreation
centers and camps
4) Answer the following questions.
How
are children in need? What is the life
in the suburb like? What kind of problems do the people have? Are there any
similar places in Jihlava or other towns? Does our school cooperate with
excluded localities? How?
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