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Nutritious summer meal program offered

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The Los Angeles Unified School District as well as local parks will offer students ages 1 to 18 years free meals during the summer. More than 520,000 students in L.A. Unified qualify for free or reduced-price meals during the school year, but many lack nourishment when the school year ends. The Summer Food Service Program ensures that all children continue to benefit during the summer from good nutrition.

The City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks also offers free lunches to kids and teens (NOTE: Persons with disabilities 19 years and older can also participate as long as they are enrolled in a special school district program during the school year) at more than 100 parks throughAug. 14, 2015.

To find a location near you, call (818) 546-2383 or (818) 546-2384 or visit the website http://www.laparks.org/foodprogram.

Free Summer Lunch Program Information:

Food served is healthy and follows USDA nutrition guidelines.

No application or proof of income is needed. You can bring your child to one of the participating City of Los Angeles parks in your community.

Meals must be eaten on site.

Staff plans and orders lunches based on the daily number of kids that come to their sites. Therefore, in the event your child does not receive a meal because there is a shortage of lunches, let the staff know so they can plan to order more lunches the next day.

Please note that parents of children ages 1-5 years may sit with their child to assist them with opening their packages. However, staff has the option to not allow parents in the eating area, if program rules are not followed.

The Food Services Division, in collaboration with the Beyond The Bell Branch, the District’s afterschool program, will operate the summer food program at 301 sites. The District also is partnering with the city of Los Angeles Recreation and Parks Department to provide meals at 106 additional sites.

“Many of our students, who rely on school lunch during the school year, cannot continue to develop both physically and cognitively, if they do not receive the proper nutrition. That’s where we come in, by providing a nutritious meal to keep kids nourished and healthy during the long summer months,” said Food Services Interim Co-Director Laura Benavidez.

Timikel Sharpe, another co-director, added: “Food insecurity is a growing issue, and we at LAUSD are not exempt. As a school district that encompasses such a large geographical area, we have thousands of students each day who rely on the breakfast, lunch and suppers to sustain them.”

For the majority of participating schools, the summer program runs from June 15 through July 24. Depending on participation, the program may be extended at select schools.

The program is operated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and is administered by the California Department of Education. For more information about the summer food program, contact the Food Services Division at (213) 241-6419 or (213) 241-6422.

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