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A new program that will provide free meals for schoolchildren this summer starts this week, according to Mayor Michael Hancock.
Hancock was at the Curtis Park pool yesterday to announce the Summer Food Service Program, and passed out free lunches to children in the area. “This collaborative program will help ensure our most vulnerable children are receiving consistent meals throughout the summer months,” said the mayor, whose office estimates that almost 12,000 children will benefit from the free meals.
The SFSP is a collaboration between the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which funds the program, the City of Denver, Denver Public Schools, Food Bank of the Rockies and Hunger Free Colorado, which will be serving the lunches at over ninety locations, including Whitter Elementary and La Alma Rec Center, both near downtown.
And although “school lunch” and “healthy” don’t always go hand in hand, school-nutrition provider Revolution Foods promises to bring “healthy, fresh and delicious food” for fourteen SFSP sites, says Pat Donovan, Revolution’s regional vice president.
The Summer Food Service Program runs until August 24, and children under 18 are eligible for free breakfasts, lunches or snacks, depending on the site. For a list of the sites and more details, visit the Hunger Free Colorado page.
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