Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Summer Lunch Program (Social Studies Blog 2)


(TRENTON)
More than 663,000 students receive lunches throughout the school year. A good percentage of those students cannot receive nutritious lunches during the summer, when they are away from school. Several students cannot because their families are not able to afford nutritious lunches. So, the New Jersey Department of Agriculture are offering the Summer Lunch Program. This article provides the following fact:
"In 2008, only 12 percent of the 663,000 children participating in the National School Lunch Program had access to nutritious meals in the summer."
This program began in 1976. It applies to the following people:

-those who are age eighteen or younger who have are not in the best financial situation.
-persons of age eighteen and older who have mental and physical disabilities.

The New Jersey Department of Agriculture also has The Emergency Food Assistance Program. This program distributes food to soup kitchens and food pantries.

Governor Corzine earmarked* a total of 7 million dollars in funds for feeding New Jersey's hungry.


*earmaked funds are those that are dedicated for a specific prorgram of purpose.

SOURCE: http://www.state.nj.us/agriculture/news/press/2009/approved/press090130.html


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