Welcome back to our blog series, the No Kid Hungry New York Partner Spotlight. We’ll be speaking to our partners across the state, learning what’s new in their summer meals programs, and celebrating the tremendous work they do to ensure that more kids have access to the the fuel they need to learn, grow and thrive. This week, we heard from Tracey LaFleur at CAPTAIN Community Human Services, a community organization in Saratoga County.
Tell us about your community. What makes the area special?
Saratoga County is a mixture of primarily suburban and rural areas. We have a range of tightly packed shopping and eating, to single family neighborhoods, to mobile home parks, to land and farming areas.
What are some of the challenges (or barriers) that kids and families face during the summer? How has implementing more flexible summer feeding options helped to overcome this?
One of the challenges is kids being able to get to the summer meals in their area. Having a wide spread range, the kids in the more rural areas especially cannot cross highways and/or busy roads to get to the summer meals. Implementing additional sites has helped as well as implementing more grab-n-go sites.
What are the most popular items on your summer menu? What is your favorite item to serve?
The kids like the nachos and salsa, and they like the pizza, which is a make-your-own style. The summer meal sites like to serve the pizza to the kids.
What would you say to other program leaders who are reluctant to implement flexible summer feeding options such as grab-n-go, pick-up meals and home-delivered meals?
The grab-n-go and pick-up meals are easier for the families who may not be able to send all of the kids out to the site for lunch (due to being too young, or watching younger kids), and for kids who cannot stay to eat on site (due to time constraints with family, appointments, etc.) This allows more kids to be able to have a lunch every day.
If you could tell everyone in America something about summer meals, especially flexible feeding options, what would you tell them?
Summer Meals is feeding children who might otherwise not eat a lunch. Flexible feeding options will feed more children. Allowing them to take meals home, not only for themselves, but for their siblings who are not allowed, or cannot physically get out of the house. Feeding the children is what is most important.
At No Kid Hungry New York, we thank Tracey and the food service staff members at CAPTAIN for their dedication and enthusiasm in feeding kids throughout the summer. We’re grateful to support their work and honored to shine a spotlight on their extraordinary program!