Since the Griffith YMCA became a Summer Food Service site, Childcare Director Lori Mulligan is relieved knowing she can feed any child who walks through its doors.
“They are definitely more ready to go forward in the day,” she said. “You see closer relationships with this, just because they sit and eat together. That’s huge for child development.”
Now in its third year, the Griffith Y will be providing free breakfast and lunch through early August to any child 18 or younger. During the summer, Mulligan estimates they will feed between 45 to 50 children each day.
Without the program, “they may not get three meals a day,” she said. “It’s definitely just a big relief to know these kids are getting food.”
Mulligan said she primarily feeds children who come to the Y for day care but also sees children from the surrounding neighborhood.
The Y is one of at least five sites in Griffith providing meals this summer. There are around 130 sites in Lake County and roughly 20 in Porter County that are regularly providing meals or snacks. Days, hours and meals vary by site.
More Top Picks Migraine Vs Tension Headache How To Tell
This year, Lake County meal sites are available in Gary, Hammond, Hobart, Merrillville, East Chicago, Lake Station, Griffith, Whiting and Crown Point. Porter County sites are available in Portage, Valparaiso, Chesterton and Porter.
The program is open to any child 18 or younger, regardless of their family income or if they qualify for free or reduced lunch during the school year.
According to an analysis by the KIDS COUNT data center, via the Annie E. Casey Foundation, 43,179 children in Lake County were eligible for either free or reduced lunch in 2016-17. Porter County had 9,238 children eligible for either free or reduced lunch.
In Lake County, a sizable number of parents and guardians are dependent on meals provided to their children before, during and after school, said Tina Skinner, a School Nutrition Field Specialist with the Indiana Department of Education.
“We are really trying to fill that void when school is out of session,” she said.
Statewide, the program involves more than 250 school and community sponsors in Indiana. Last year, those sponsors served nearly 3 million meals for low-income children at sites including parks, community centers, schools, churches and mobile feeding sites.
About 25 organizations are sponsoring sites in Lake and Porter counties, Skinner said.
This summer, the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana estimates it will feed about 400 children about 35,000 meals alone at its six sites in East Chicago, according to its website.
In 2016, 118,045 breakfasts were served, 21,786 morning and evening snacks, 230,734 lunch meals and 10,843 dinners were served in Lake County, according to data from IDOE. In Porter County, 14,944 breakfasts, 7,821 afternoon and evening snacks, 42,138 lunches and 182 dinners were served.
The federal nutrition program is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and administered by the Indiana Department of Education. It’s designed to meet the needs of low-income children in areas where children may have limited access to good nutrition.
To find a site, call 1-866-348-6479 or go to fns.usda.gov/summerfoodrocks or doe.in.gov/nutrition/summer-food-service-program.
Associated Press contributed.
Twitter @meredithcolias