Fight Summer Food Insecurity for Kids Barbara Mader - Examiner.com
go to original July 20, 2012

One in 5 kids, 20%, or about 16.4 million children in the United States are food insecure. “Food insecure” is the lack of access at times to enough nutritionally adequate foods for an active and healthy lifestyle. Summer leaves many kids with a time of high level of food insecurity.

Children are out of school and don’t have access to the National School Lunch Program. During the school year, qualifying students can receive free or reduced priced nutritional breakfasts and lunches at school. Even subsidized summer lunch programs don’t reach all kids due to lack of transportation, access issues, or disrupted home schedules.

Fewer donations are given to food pantries, hunger relief organizations and charities during the summer. Resources dwindle and there is not enough food to go around, particularly in urban areas where donations drop dramatically.

Food deserts, urban areas without food outlets supplying nutritional foods, swell with kids out of school. There are no places where they can receive or buy fresh fruits, vegetables and lean protein for sound meals. These urban areas have either no stores or convenience stores that typically sell junk food and high sugar beverages like soda.

Choosemyplate.gov is the website of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that provides information and recommendations about healthy eating habits. They recommend that children ages 6-10 consume 1.5 cups of fruit per day as part of a healthy, nutritious diet. Fruit provides essential nutrients like potassium, dietary fiber, vitamin C, and folic acid.

Children who have good nutrition are more likely to reach their full growth potential. Healthier children tend to have higher academic achievement because they are well prepared for school. Healthier children display social and behavioral wellness because they tend to adapt better to environmental stress. Good nutrition maintains a child’s health.

This summer Juicy Juice, in partnership with Nestle and Feeding America, has launched its Fruit for All Project. To help in the fight against hunger Juicy Juice is delivering up to 35 million pieces of fruit to children and families in need. The Juicy Juice Fruit for All Project is an extension of that mission focused on providing fruit servings to those who need it most.

Feeding America is the nation’s largest hunger relief agency with a network of over 200 regional food banks and over 61,000 charitable feeding agencies. Feeding America is uniquely qualified to help Nestlé Juicy Juice impact the lives of food insecure families and they have been working closely for more than 20 years to accomplish just that. Since 1990, the Nestlé/Feeding America partnership has resulted in the donation of more than 250 million pounds of food.

Any Juicy Juice product purchased in store will result in a fruit donation. Products include eight-packs of juice boxes, cans of concentrate, and any of the larger plastic bottles. A list of stores selling Juicy Juice can be found here. Juicy Juice purchased in restaurants or schools are not included in the program. The project runs from June 1 through August 31, 2012, or until 35 million pieces of fruit are donated.

In addition to purchasing Juicy Juice, anyone can participate in weekly online challenges at fruitforallproject.com to donate even more fruit! Juicy Juice also encourages everyone to volunteer their time and energy to the hunger relief cause. If you upload any picture of you and your family helping feed the hungry at fruitforallproject.com and we’ll donate three pieces of fruit to the cause. To find a food bank near you, click here.

Visit the Juicy Juice website to learn more about the Fruit for All Project, play nutrition games, and follow links to additional information about healthy eating.

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