MEDIA ADVISORY: San Diego Unified Leads Effort to Fight Summer Hunger

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MEDIA ADVISORY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


San Diego Unified Leads Effort to Fight Summer Hunger

This summer, more than 300,000 meals and snacks will be served to San Diego children at 57 sites throughout the city – all part of the Summer Fun Café, a federally funded meal program that provides meals to children ages 18 and younger when school is not in session.

More than 70,000 children in San Diego Unified School District qualify for free or reduced-price meals during the school year. When school ends for the summer, these children lose access to school meals, often leading to unhealthy eating, fatigue, weight gain and learning loss. This leaves many children unprepared to return to school in the fall.

The Summer Fun Café, administered by San Diego Unified Food and Nutrition Services, works to ensure these children have continued access to nutritious meals. The program provides meals that meet federal nutrition guidelines at no cost to all children 18 years old and younger at sites in areas with significant concentrations of low-income children.

To help raise awareness about this important program, San Diego Unified will host a kickoff barbecue event featuring a large community resource fair, fitness camp, circus performance, prize giveaway, and a free barbecue lunch for all children 18 years old and younger. Parents and guardians can also eat for free at the barbecue thanks to funding from sponsors Mission Federal Credit Union and San Diego Honda Dealers.

WHAT: Summer Fun Café Kickoff BBQ – a free community event

WHEN: Thursday, June 20
10:30 a.m.-2 p.m.

WHERE: Penn Athletic Field Park
2555 Dusk Dr.
San Diego, CA 92139


EVENT SCHEDULE:

10:30 a.m. – Event begins: community resource fair and fitness camp with San Diego's Albion Soccer Team



11:30 a.m. – Free barbecue lunch service begins



12:15 p.m. – Performance by Fern Street Circus





1:15 p.m. – Prize drawing for children


PHOTOS/VISUALS:Children receiving free lunch, notable figures serving children, performance by Fern Street Circus, children participating in physical activities, parents receiving fresh fruits and vegetables to take home provided by Feeding San Diego and the San Diego Food Bank.

BACKGROUND: Summer Fun Café is a federally funded program and meets all federal nutrition standards, ensuring that children continue to have access to the healthy, well-balanced foods they receive throughout the school year.

The Summer Fun Café is operating Monday through Friday from June 17 to August 16 at 57 locations throughout San Diego. Find serving times and locations at www.sandiegounified.org/summermeals<http://www.sandiegounified.org/summermeals>.

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CONTACT: Tara McNamara, Food & Nutrition, O: 858-627-7316, C: 209-233-1565, tmcnamara@sandi.net<mailto:tmcnamara@sandi.net>