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The beginning of summer may mean a break from homework and studying, but for many students, it can also mark the beginning of a long stretch without daily, school-provided meals."People think of the summer as a time to relax and vacation," said the Ohio Association of Foodbanks' Executive Director Lisa Hamler-Fugitt. "When school's closed for the school year, childhood hunger increases in our state."Hamler-Fugitt said one of the ways her organization is working to combat that problem is by increasing awareness of Ohio's federally-funded Summer Food Service Program sites, which are sponsored by community organizations, including churches, schools, and city recreation departments.Ohio has added more than 100 new locations this year, bringing the total to about 1,700 statewide.
Hamler-Fugitt said offering kids a chance to eat a nutritious meal when school's out can be a lifesaver for low income families."Communities know that childhood hunger is a significant problem for low-income families and their children," she said. "It provides an opportunity to meet the most basic of all human needs, food."Out of more than 633,000 Ohio's students who received free or reduced-price meals every day while in school last year, only around 10 percent participated in the daily summer meal program, according to a report released by the Food Research and Action Center.Hamler-Fugitt hopes the addition of both extra AmeriCorp staff members and the new food sites across the state will increase participation this summer.Looking for a summer food service site? The Ohio Department of Education helps to facilitate the program, and they've put together a searchable map you can visit by clicking here.