Local students who rely on free or reduced lunches during the school year will get a helping hand this summer thanks to a charitable organization. Summer Harvest, a non-profit committed to eliminating food insecurity for school-aged children in affluent communities where children do not qualify for government or other help programs, is reaching out a helping hand to Los Al families.
In a newsletter sent out to the Los Alamitos School District community last week, Superintendent Sherry Kropp informed locals about the organization and its mission.
“We are fortunate to serve a generous community that supports young people. Over the summer months, some of our families struggle with having healthy meals,” said Kropp. “If you could benefit with assistance over the summer, please see below.”
Included in the newsletter was a message from Amy Payne, who’s Executive Director of Summer Harvest. In her message, Payne, a teacher at King Elementary who founded the non-profit, explained the program’s mission.
“For many families in the Los Alamitos Unified School District, summer brings space for bucket lists and vacation. Yet, for 13 percent of our district families or roughly 1,300 children who regularly receive free or reduced lunches during the school year, summer becomes a stressful season,” said Payne.
“Only 1 out of 8 children that receive free or reduced lunch during the school year receive government-assisted lunches over the summer months when school is not in session. What most of us do not realize is that the percentage of free or reduced lunch families in our district is not actually high enough to meet the government’s criteria for a summer food service program. These families are caught in a gap, which creates food insecurity.
“To meet this need head-on, Summer Harvest was developed with a clear vision to eliminate food insecurity for school-aged children in affluent communities where children do not qualify for government or other help programs. As a 100 percent volunteer-based 501C3, our mission is to provide healthy meals to families with children on the free and reduced lunch program, during the breaks from school. This summer we will distribute groceries including staples for meal making ensuring a solid foundation of fresh fruits and vegetables. You can get involved in this program by becoming a sponsor of a grocery bag. A gift of $75 provides a bag of groceries to a family for each of our five distributions this summer. We also encourage you to come out and pack food or help with the distribution. Donate or volunteer at http://www.summerharvest.us.”
If you are a family that falls in the gap and would benefit from groceries, please see the signup forms here and visit http://www.summerharvest.us/signup.
The program’s website an upcoming food distribution/volunteer opportunities, which are listed below.
• Youth Center in Los Alamitos – Saturday, July 8, 9:30 a.m. at 10909 Oak St. in Los Alamitos.
Sign up to volunteer at http://www.summerharvest.us.
This article appeared in the June 7, 2017 print edition of the News Enterprise.