Each summer, millions of school children are hungry without the meals provided at school. The Kentucky Department of Education (other states use different agencies to facilitate the program) partners with sponsors across the state to provide summer meals to children from 2-18 throughout the summer months. Kentucky State University Extension is one of those sponsors. KSU is currently working in three counties to provide summer meals. Two of those counties are Anderson, where there is also a KSU SNAP-Ed Assistant and Franklin.

The SFSP mobile unit delivers food throughout the county to several at risk for poverty locations. The Anderson County Family Resource Team, as well as the Anderson SNAP-Ed Assistant, provides activities for the children at some of the stops. This outreach not only feeds children, but it allows the families to be comfortable with the staff. This bond is critical when developing programs and returning to the neighborhood to offer services. The SNAP-Ed and FRC teams take the opportunity to pass out flyers and nutrition information to the children at the stops to reinforce healthy activities and practices.

In addition to the mobile unit, Franklin and Anderson Co. Farmer’s Markets offer meals on Saturdays. This meal service encourages at risk families to become familiar with the local market and embrace it as a food resource for use with SNAP, WIC, and senior vouchers.

The Farmers Market Saturday meals feed 100-175 children each week. This outreach brings in many parents that did not visit the market before. This increases access to local fruits and vegetables, increases the revenue for the local farmer, and creates a sense of community that many at risk families lack.

Thus far, KSU SFSP has supplied over three thousand meals in the three county service area.