When school’s out, millions of kids go hungry
A A record 21.7 million American kids get free or
reduced-price lunch during school. But when summer vacation starts, most
of them go without this essential, federally funded benefit. Fewer than 4
million kids – or just 18% of those in the school lunch program – are fed
through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s summer food program. While that’s
a record number for the 40-year-old initiative, many advocates and government
officials say more needs to be done.
B “In the summer, when those school meals disappear,
children find themselves hungry and with few options,” said Duke Storen, a
senior director at Share Our Strength, which aims to end child hunger. “It
impacts their health and well-being and contributes to learning loss.”
One of the top hurdles for the summer meals effort is the federal requirement
that the kids receive the food at an approved location and eat it on-site. The rationale is to ensure that the
children are the ones actually consuming the meals. But it’s not easy for kids
to get to the meal sites, especially in suburbia, where poverty is growing.
Also, the weather can be a factor, as can violence in certain cities. The
increased number of children in need has prompted some local officials
to try new ways to reach them in the summer months. They are bringing meals to
more locations through buses or trucks and adding activities to draw the kids
there.
C Traditionally, the city provided federally funded summer
meals at about 70 recreation centers and camps. This year, it launched
GrubUp, which will expand its reach to 34 pools, playgrounds, libraries, and
other new sites through a food truck. Funded by $90,000 in grants, the truck
will also attend festivals and other community events. Oftentimes, it will accompany
the Roving Art Cart, which traverses the city offering arts and crafts programs
for kids.
D “Where we can find the kids, we are going to take the
meals to them,” said Jim Griffin, director of Pittsburgh’s parks and recreation
department, which serves up to two free meals a day at most of its locations.
Another new activity aimed at attracting and feeding children over the summer
is the Kids Cook program, sponsored by the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food
Bank. In addition to receiving their summer meal, the children will learn about
healthy eating and make treats to take home, such as black bean salsa, banana
pancakes, flatbread, and granola bars. It's the first time the food bank has
offered Kids Cook when school is out of session.
E Through these efforts, city officials hope to boost the number of children receiving
meals by 10% to at least 7,600 this summer. Still, that means only three of 10
Pittsburgh kids in the school lunch program will receive meals over the summer.
Adjusted
to (1)
rationale – důvod
boost – zvýšit
1) Read the article and match each of the headings to a
paragraph.
1 Children in
the suburbs are hungry in the summer
2 Meals are
offered in the centres and camps
3 Children are taught about healthy diet
4 Still only
30% children will get their meals
5 Introduction
2) Read the article and answer the questions.
1 Where do
children in need in the US take their meals during the summer?
2 Where do
they get food in the summer?
3 What
factors influence their starvation?
4 Who helps
starving children? How?
5 How many
children might be helped by the project?
3) Explain the following words and phrases.
1 summer
vacation
2 learning
loss
3 poverty is
growing
4 children in
need
5 recreation
centers and camps
4) Answer the following questions.
Who are children in
need? What is the life in the suburbs like? What kind of problems do the people
have? Are there any similar places in Jihlava or other towns? Does our school
cooperate with excluded localities? How?
Source:
(1)
