Thousands of children across Milwaukee County depend on the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs during the school year to receive nutritious meals. But what happens when the school year ends and summer vacation begins?
The Fueling Young Minds Summer Meals Program, funded by an annual $125,000 grant from the Harley-Davidson Foundation since 2004, serves low-income children free, nutritious meals and snacks at safe, supervised locations such as schools, recreation centers, and playgrounds from the beginning of June until Labor Day.
One out of three school-age children in Milwaukee lived in poverty in 2005, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates. Program organizers have found that quite often the meals kids eat at Fueling Young Minds locations are the only meals they eat all day.
"The Foundation has made a commitment to serving the populations of greatest need in the Milwaukee area," said Mary Anne Martiny, Manager of the Harley-Davidson Foundation. "Harley-Davidson's headquarters are located in Milwaukee's central city and this program increases access to healthy meals so that our children can learn, play and grow."
As a result of the Foundation's involvement, the program has increased its level of service each year, from 537,996 meals served in 2004 to 714,912 meals served in 2007. In 2008, Fueling Young Minds will serve its two millionth meal.
"The funding and leadership provided by the Harley-Davidson Foundation allows the Fueling Young Minds Program to be able to meet the need for nutritious meals for children where public dollars have fallen short," said Sherrie Tussler, Executive Director for The Hunger Task Force, Inc.
The Foundation's involvement has had an immediate and lasting impact on the program in the following areas:
- Increased Access: Funding covered staffing costs for adult supervision at meal sites after summer school and recreation budgets were exhausted, which nearly tripled the number of meals served.
- Enhanced Marketing and Outreach: The Foundation has funded flyers, signage, radio and newspaper ads, automated phone calls and television PSAs, resulting in a significant increase of program awareness, especially in neighborhoods suffering from high poverty rates.
- Leadership: Program stakeholders, including Hunger Task Force, Milwaukee Public Schools, Social Development Commission and the YMCA, meet regularly to eliminate the duplication of services and to ensure equitable distribution and service coverage, both in terms of geography and time.
