SFSP: The Second Year

Last year, the first year of the USDA Sponsored Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) in Berea, a team of Berea College student interns and labor students, as well as 2 AmeriCorps members, 1 AmeriCorps VISTA, and 1 full-time staff member delivered the following results in just 78 days:

• 13,880 total meals served
• 4,843 breakfast meals served
• 9,037 lunch meals served
• 12 sites
• 30+ life-enriching (and fun!) activities delivered to children ages 1-18
• Total cost of meal savings for Berea families: $44,519

And that was just Year 1!

The kick-off event for Year 2 is scheduled for May 27 (Yes, as in 3 weeks from now!), and the SFSP team is gearing up for an even bigger and better year! Here’s what’s planned so far:

• 8 confirmed sites (with more in the works!)
• A goal of a 35% increase in meals served= 15,684 meals
• Starting meal service on May 22nd and ending on August 11th
• Enrichment programs planned include gardening at the Glades Christian Church, cooking and nutrition classes from the Madison County Cooperative Extension Service, the Public Library’s BookMobile, Sprouts Club (children’s activities) at every Berea Farmers Market, and tours of the Berea Urban Farm and Berea College’s Aquaponics Facility
• Introducing a SMOOTHIE BIKE at the Farmers Market!
• Continued exploration of a possible expansion into more counties- a few adjacent to Madison County- of eastern Kentucky! The team is currently obtaining feedback from stakeholders in those counties. Stay tuned as those conversations and plans continue!

Also, the SFSP Team wants to invite YOU to the kick-off event on May 27th from 1-5pm! It will be at the Berea City Park Pool Pavilion, which also happens to be opening day of the city pool. It is going to be awesome, so you will not want to miss that! Live music, an Ale8 truck, bounce houses, and a lot more will be there! Again, don’t miss it!

Check out their Facebook page for updates coming soon! And finally, Berea family and friends, they need your help!  They need your children, ages 1-18, to visit one or more of the SFSP sites, attend the enrichment programs, and most of all, eat the yummy meals provided! The SFSP Team works so hard every day of the week to make sure that every child in Berea who needs or wants a free, nutritious meal and something fun to do this summer can do so!

Just for fun, here are a few pictures from last year’s Summer Feeding program. See you all soon!