Newton-Wellesley Hospital Partners with Project Bread and Waltham Boys and Girls Club to Provide Lunches to Waltham Children

On Tuesday, August 15th, Newton-Wellesley Hospital President Dr. Michael R. Jaff joined Project Bread and the Waltham Boys and Girls Club at the Peter Gilmore Playground in Waltham to observe the summer meals program and celebrate another successful year of the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP).

Newton-Wellesley Hospital is helping to provide nutritious meals to hundreds of children in Waltham this summer through their support of the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP).The SFSP is a federally-funded nutrition program that provides free meals to children 18 years and younger when school is not in session. It is administered in Massachusetts by the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE) with support from the Child Nutrition Outreach Program (CNOP) at Project Bread. A grant from Newton-Wellesley Hospital and Partners HealthCare has allowed Waltham to continue to build on marketing and outreach efforts to increase participation in the SFSP and help ensure that all children and teens have consistent access to wholesome meals in the summer.

More than 400,000 children across Massachusetts qualify for free or reduced-price school meals during the school year. When school lets out for the summer, children lose access to these nutritious meals, often leading to unhealthy eating habits, fatigue, weight gain, and learning loss. The SFSP works to ensure that children have continued access to nutritious meals all summer long by providing free meals that meet federal nutrition guidelines to all children 18 years old and under at approved sites. There is no registration or identification needed to participate in the program. Meals are often served alongside engaging programming designed to keep students active and learning throughout the summer.

Parents, guardians, and youth can get a complete list of programs across the state by calling Project Bread’s FoodSource Hotline at 1-800-645-8333, by visiting www.meals4kids.org, or by texting “FOOD” or “COMIDA” to 877-877. In addition to these resources, Project Bread’s “SummerEats” app is available for free download on iPhone and Android. Kids and families can use the app to find the nearest meal sites as well as detailed directions to the site.

Photo (from left to right): Lisa Damigella, Waltham Boys & Girls Club; Erica Young, Executive Director, Waltham Boys & Girls Club; Dr. Michael R. Jaff, President, Newton-Wellesley Hospital; Rosemarie Caward, Child Nutrition Outreach Coordinator, Project Bread; Carrie Privette, Director of Development, Project Bread; Maura Ackerman, Assistant Director of Programs, Project Bread; Ronnie Sanders, Executive Director for Community Health, Partners HealthCare; Nick Cacciolfi, Director of Operations, Waltham Boys & Girls Club; Anderson Aguilar, Waltham Boys & Girls Club