Political Quotes

“Mr. President, for most children around the country the school year has ended and the summer has begun. Some 700,000 children in Ohio, my home State, during the school year receive free or reduced- price school lunches on an average day--some 700,000 children. Those children might not have access to a nutritious meal when school cafeterias close for the summer. Summer break should not mean a break from good nutrition. That is where the Summer Food Service Program steps in. The U.S. Department of Agriculture works with State departments of education to ensure that every child has sufficient, adequate, nutritious food to keep growing and learning after the final school bell rings. This year in Ohio there will be 1,500 Summer Food Service Program sites across the State. Last year these sites served almost 4 million meals. Last week, I spoke with Winnie Brewer, who runs these sites in Marion County, OH, in a city about the size of Mansfield, near where I grew up. According to Winnie, more than one in four kids in her county is food insecure. She talked about one of their newest volunteers, who came to her in tears after watching a 6-year-old boy clean the shelves in an SFSP site--a feeding site--and then start digging through the trash. He was just that hungry. That is why the work Winnie does and her volunteers do is so important. Right now, too many families don't know about this critical program. Too many families miss out on receiving its assistance once school lets out.…”