Sign up for our WIC Flash e-Newsletter

Featured Project

wichelp

Our WIC CAN HELP campaign is designed to help the one million California families we serve to survive and protect their children’s health in these tough times. The campaign builds local agency staff capacity to inform and connect WIC families with all possible community assistance programs, from dental care to foreclosure counseling to utility assistance.

WIC CAN HELP identifies lesser-known referral resources, and makes sure the local WIC network can easily share the information with WIC participants using downloadable multi-language flyers or information. Each month, we share a new resource and referral “survival kit” which highlights assistance or program linkages that local WIC staff might suggest to young families in need. WIC CAN HELP is funded by grants from The California Endowment and Kaiser Permanente Community Benefits.

Read more

 
Home›Focus Areas›WIC Can Help

MAY: Summer Lunch

Hunger does not take a summer vacation! The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), also known as Summer Lunch, is a federally funded program that reimburses community organizations that provide free, nutritious meals to children 18 years of age and younger. Offered when school is not in session for at least 15 continuous school days, Summer Lunch fulfills a critical role in alleviating hunger among children in low-income neighborhoods.

Summer Lunch can boost local economies, too. If California served Summer Lunch to all 2.1 million eligible children, communities statewide would draw about $150,000 more in federal funding. In 2011, we served less than 20 percent of eligible children and youth in California, down in recent years mainly due to school district cuts in summer school programs.

During these tough economic times and government budget crises, Summer Lunch can be a valuable resource for low-income families. Although the number of families struggling to put food on the table has recently decreased with greater use of CalFresh, many California counties report high levels of food insecurity.

WIC Can Help families stretch their food dollars so children can enjoy nutritious meals during the long summer months.

CA_SummerFood_logoWHAT LOCAL AGENCIES CAN DO:

  1. Find out where Summer Lunch is served in your area.

    Use the county-by-county directory of Summer Lunch sites. Check back for 2012 updates.

    Call 2-1-1 or consult the 211 online directory of services (search on "summer food") for many counties.
  2. Tell WIC families about Summer Lunch.

    Download outreach materials and find other CA Dept. of Education resources including parent flyers and customizable posters in many languages.
  3. Consider offering Summer Lunch at WIC sites.

    Start with information at the California Center for Research on Women and Families website.

    To help plan for next year, attend free webinars by the California Summer Meal Program Coalition in February.