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Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

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Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Sites Serving Up Nutritious Summer Meals for Illinois Kids

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Monday, June 8, 2015   

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Efforts to ensure Illinois children have access to nutritious meals while school is out for summer are paying off.

Summer Food Programs provide food to students who eat free or reduced-price meals during the school year. Suzy Lee, coordinator of No Kid Hungry Illinois, says the state increased its summer meals served in 2014 by more than 15 percent.

"That worked out to over 600,000 additional meals served in 2014," she says. "But we still have a lot of work to do. Even with that increase, we're still reaching less than 15 out of 100 kids that are eligible for a free or reduced-price meal during the school year."

Lee says when school is in session it's much easier to ensure children can access nutrition programs, but during the summer many families don't know the location of a food site, or don't have transportation available to get there. The USDA is working specifically with the state to increase participation in the program.

Amy Bianco, nutrition and wellness program coordinator for the Illinois State Board of Education, says more than 660,000 children in Illinois – about one in five – are at risk of hunger and lack adequate access to the food they need to stay healthy.

"Hunger is such a big issue," she says. "The Summer Food Program helps the learning capability, the hunger issue. It's very important throughout the state."

No Kid Hungry Illinois, the Illinois Hunger Coalition and the Illinois State Board of Education are collaborating to promote the availability of summer meals. Lee says when a social media campaign was implemented last year there was a 300 percent increase in the use of their texting line.

"Folks can text 'food-I-L' to 877-877, and they'll get three text messages back with the three summer meal sites that are nearest to them that are open," she says.

Through social media, Lee says they were able to reach 1.4 million households with information about summer nutrition programs in 2014.


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