No Kid Hungry Ohio announced on its website that it has awarded $137,780 in grants to ten organizations across the state, including Mount Vernon City Schools, to help combat summer hunger among children in rural communities.
The funding is intended to provide economic relief for families who lose access to free and reduced-price school meals during the summer break. According to No Kid Hungry Ohio, one in five children in Ohio experiences food insecurity and often faces increased hardship when schools are closed.
Mount Vernon City Schools is among the recipients of these grants, along with Caldwell Exempted Village Schools, Cambridge City Schools, Celina City Schools, Lawrence County Education Service Center, Noble Local Schools, River View Local Schools, Rolling Hills Local Schools, TLC Ministries, and Washington-Morgan Community Action. The grants support summer meal programs designed to make meals more accessible for rural families by delivering meals directly or allowing parents to pick up multiple days’ worth of meals at central locations.
No Kid Hungry Ohio said that rural communities face unique challenges accessing summer meal programs due to transportation issues, work schedules, and extreme weather. The organization noted that traditional programs have only reached a fraction of eligible children but that recent non-congregate meal flexibilities have improved access significantly. "The tremendous growth in summer meal programs across the state since the non-congregate option became available shows that Ohio families have embraced its flexibility. As a result, summer meals are reaching more Ohio kids than ever before," according to Allison Dela Cuesta, associate director of No Kid Hungry.
Families seeking assistance can find information about Summer Meal sites at NoKidHungry.org/Help or /Ayuda. The program is open to all children 18 years old and under.
