Bradley, Alex and Chris Lanthier enjoy a Summer Food Program lunch at Mountain View Apartments with USDA Rural Development in Vermont.
March is National Nutrition Month. Throughout the month, USDA will be highlighting results of our efforts to improve access to safe, healthy food for all Americans and supporting the health of our next generation.
You can tell by the smiles on the faces of Bradley, Alex, and Chris Lanthier that a well-fed kid is a happy kid! It’s smiling faces like these that make my job as Rural Housing Service Administrator so rewarding – these guys look as if they don’t have a care in the world. USDA Rural Housing Service is making a difference by helping kids, just be kids!
Yet it’s important to remember: unlike kids, hunger doesn’t take a vacation during the summer. Unfortunately, child hunger peaks during the summer months when kids from low-income families no longer have access to school meals.
I was so proud last year when Under Secretary Lisa Mensah announced last year Rural Housing Service had a record-breaking 174 multi-family housing communities feeding kids all summer ‘15 long. The announcement meant we increased RHS’ participation in this incredibly important program by nearly 25%! This year we want to do even more.
This year, I’m prioritizing USDA Rural Housing Service help even more affordable rental properties across rural America become participants in the Food and Nutrition Service’s Summer Food Service Program than ever before.
Help us help kids! This summer let’s help at least 200 RHS affordable rental communities to participate in the Summer Food Program. About 40% of our affordable rental communities across the nation have families with children. We are committed to help bring healthy food to kids all over rural America again this summer!
The owners and managers of USDA-financed affordable rental housing help us feed more hungry kids in rural America. Together we make a difference! You can help RHS and FNS feed more kids too by visiting www.summerfood.usda.gov.
Programs through the Food and Nutrition Service and the Rural Housing Service can work together to provide rural children, like these kids from Calistoga Family Apartments (a farm labor housing complex) with nutritious food and activities during the summer and after school.
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