Summer Time!
Carla Rogers couldn’t wait for school to end and summer to begin. She couldn’t wait to hang out with friends in her neighborhood. She is excited about going into the fourth grade but can't wait for her summer of "freedom."
 It sounds like the ideal summer, except Carla is among the one in four children on the South Plains who participate in the school breakfast and lunch program. After school, she goes to the Wilson Boys and Girls Club where she is fed through the South Plains Food Bank Kids Cafe Program. While Carla looks forward to summer, her mom worries about having enough food at home to take care of Carla and her little brother. A cashier at a store, Carla's mom is grateful for the meals that her children receive through Kids Cafe and now the Summer Food Service Program.
Hunger does not take a summer vacation. When the school year ends, federally subsidized school breakfasts and lunches become unavailable. According to Hunger in America 2006, nearly 41 percent of emergency food kitchens in the Feeding America network reported “many more children in the summer” being served. Research has shown that even mild undernutrition experienced by young children during critical periods of growth may lead to reductions in physical growth and adversely affect brain development. Proper nutrition is vital to the growth and development of children, particularly for low-income children. In response to the problem of child hunger, The South Plains Food Bank became a Summer Food Sponsor in 2003. Last summer, more than 48,000 meals were served through the food bank’s Summer Food Service Pro gram.
With the opening of the South Plains Food Bank Kitchen of Hope, more children are going to be fed this summer and next fall. We need your help to get the word out. To locate the nearest summer feeding location click here.
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If you need help completing an application for food stamps contact Denise Rudd at 763-3003. She can help you understand the process and collect the information needed to apply for assistance with food. 
