NEWS RELEASE -- Eat Smart, Play Hard at this Summer¹s Free Lunch Program.

NEWS RELEASE from the San Diego Unified School District

EAT SMART, PLAY HARD AT THIS SUMMER'S FREE LUNCH PROGRAM

Free Lunches for all Kids 18 and Under

SAN DIEGO -- San Diego kids can once again invite their parents to a big
FREE barbecue kickoff event that opens San Diego Unified School District¹s
Summer Fun Café program. The barbecue is Tuesday, June 18, 2013 from
10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Skyline Hills Community Park, 8285 Skyline Dr. SD
92114. Lunch is served from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

For many low-income children in California and across the nation, summer
break is often far from ideal. It can mean limited access to summer
learning/enrichment opportunities as well as discontinued access to the
daily nutrition provided through schools. Summer Fun Café bridges that
gap and requires no paperwork or income qualifications to participate.

San Diego Unified School District Food Services Department partners with
the City of San Diego Park and Recreation Department, Military Child and
Youth Programs, San Diego Public Library and several non-profit
organizations to help fill this gap by providing free, healthy meals and
physical activities in low- income neighborhoods when school is out. The
Summer Fun Café is funded through the US Department of Agriculture¹s
³Seamless Summer Feeding Option² and will be at 65 sites: 28 Park and
Recreation Centers, 13 community and military sites, and 24 schools. For
complete schedule and locations, go to www.sandi.net/food and select
Summer Fun Café or go to http://www.211sandiego.org/summerlunch.

This summer¹s theme is EAT SMART. PLAY HARD., which is the motto of our
mascot from the USDA, Power Panther. The Power Panther stands for eating
healthy food and being physically active every day.

³Let¹s make this summer count,² said Gary Petill, San Diego Unified¹s Food
Services Director. ³All children are invited to have lunch with us and
join the fun and activities all summer long. Then, when they head back to
school in the fall, they will be strong and ready to learn.²

The kickoff event on Tuesday, June 18, features a free BBQ lunch for all
children and accompanying adults. This exceptional event for children and
their families will also feature visits from the Power Panther, and the
San Diego Padres Friar and Pad Squad, fun fruit and veggie games with lots
of prizes, an inflatable jumper, crafts, music, bike drawings, health
clinics, community information booths, cooking demonstrations and much
more. And every family goes home with a bag of fruit and vegetables from
the San Diego Food Bank or Feeding America San Diego. More than 2,500 kids
and their parents/guardians are expected to attend.

For a schedule of all summer lunch locations, dates and hours, go to
http://www.sandi.net/Page/38399

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NOTES TO REPORTERS AND EDITORS

The time-certain press event will be at 11 a.m. Various local, state and
USDA dignitaries will be available to interview.

Media contact: Norma Johnson at njohnson4@sandi.net or 858 627-7308;
Joanne Tucker, 858-627-7316.


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