By Aleksi Merilainen | Development Director
Now for the fourth year, Bienestar offered Summer Lunch and Fun to the children of our multi-family housing properties and the community at large during the summer of 2013. With support from the USDA’s Summer Food Service Program and the Hillsboro School District, we served a total of 3,164 lunches at two program sites; Sunset Gardens and Montebello, both located in Hillsboro, Oregon.
The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) was established by the USDA to ensure that low-income children continue to receive nutritious meals when school is not in session. Free meals, that meet Federal nutrition guidelines, are provided to all children under 18 years old at approved SFSP sites in areas with significant concentrations of low-income children.
Lunch Time
The Summer Lunch and Fun program at Bienestar was operated Monday to Friday, June 17 through August 16. Lunch was served from 12:00 to 12:30 PM.
Before receiving their lunch, children first washed their hands. Afterward, they would be given their lunch which consisted of fruit, vegetable and a cookie alongside the main meal. The children could choose between chocolate or regular milk, however, lunch provided no choice. To prevent food from going to waste, a sharing basket was available where children had the opportunity to place food that they didn’t want.
Activity Time
After lunch, was an activity time which took place from 12:45 to 2:30. An average of 18 children participated per day. Every day of the week had a specific topic: reading, culture, arts and crafts, and physical activity. Each week also included a “community day” where different organizations from the community came out and did an activity with the kids. Participating organizations include local fire and police departments, the library, and the zoo.
The weekly themes included:
Conclusion:
The Summer Lunch and Fun program is one that is very interactive with the kids and one that we have found to have had a positive impact on summer reading for many of our children. Not only are young kids able to receive a tasty free and healthy meal, they are able to meet some of the members of their community and become more aware of different cultures. By having dedicated reading days implemented throughout the week in a fun and educational atmosphere we are able to nourish their imagination, reading and discussion skills. The different themes allowed us to include a wide variety of cultures in the curriculum that introduced the kids to global thinking and inclusivity.
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