News Releases
City receives grant to assist with summer feeding program
(Sent: 2012-06-18 10:23:28)NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, June 18, 2012
Prepared by: Roger Steinbrock, (785) 832-3458
City receives grant to assist with summer feeding program
(Lawrence, Kan.) – The City of Lawrence, in partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association, has been selected to benefit from a $400,000 grant received by NRPA from the Kansas Health Foundation to support summer feeding programs in 5 parks and recreation agencies across the U.S. Lawrence Parks and Recreation has received a $50,000 grant to support the food service program that is held in three of Lawrence’s city parks.
“Helping children and families in our local community is a key objective of Lawrence Parks and Recreation,” Ernie Shaw, director of Parks and Recreation, said. “We are happy to be a part of NRPA’s national effort to combat hunger, particularly in these troubled economic times, and are pleased the Kansas Health Foundation has lent their support to the City of Lawrence. Through the Kansas Health Foundation’s generosity, our youth will have healthy meals and learn how to live healthy, active lives.”
While many children look forward to the summer break, recent research shows that health may decline in children during the summer due to lower levels of physical activity and lack of access to healthy meals.
“Good nutrition and increased physical activity are crucial parts of a child’s growth and development,” Steve Coen, Kansas Health Foundation president and CEO, said. “The Kansas Health Foundation is proud to partner on the Serving Kansas Communities program to help ensure more Kansas children have access to nutrition meals during the summer months.”
Only one in seven of the low-income students who depend on the National School Lunch Program during the regular 2010-11 school year received summer meals in July 2011 according to a report released by the Food Research and Action Center in June 2012.
“Parks and Recreation agencies are on the frontline in the fight to reduce hunger especially among children,” Barbara Tulipane, president and CEO of NRPA. “The generous gift from the Kansas Health Foundation will help our local champions provide nutritious meals for millions of children and support the development of a healthy, connected and active generation of Americans.”
For the third year, NRPA has awarded grants to parks and recreation agencies for feeding programs that have served more than 16 million meals to low-income children, an increase of 3.7 million meals over 2009 figures.
Parks and Recreation will implement the OrganWise Guys, an interactive science-based education program that uses characters based on the organs of the body to teach children about nutrition. The program will be included in the Summer Playgrounds program, as well as other department summer camps and will be featured during the summer feeding program at South Park, East Lawrence Recreation Center and Broken Arrow Park. The program will be held 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.at South Park, 1141 Massachusetts St., Mondays and Wednesdays; East Lawrence Recreation Center, 1245 E. 15th St., Tuesdays and Fridays and Broken Arrow Park, 2900 Louisiana St., on Thursdays.
For more information on NRPA’s summer feeding support, visit www.nrpa.org/feeding or contact Jimmy O’Connor, senior manager of corporate grants, at joconnor@nrpa.org.
About Philanthropy at the Kansas Health Foundation
The Kansas Health Foundation is a private philanthropy dedicated to improving the health of all Kansans. For more information about the Kansas Health Foundation, visit www.kansashealth.org.
The Kansas Health Foundation is a private philanthropy dedicated to improving the health of all Kansans. For more information about the Kansas Health Foundation, visit www.kansashealth.org.
About the National Recreation and Park Association
The National Recreation and Park Associationis a national not-for-profit organization dedicated to advancing park, recreation and conservation efforts that enhance quality of life for all people. Through its network of 20,000 recreation and park professionals and citizens, NRPA encourages the promotion of healthy lifestyles, recreation initiatives, and conservation of natural and cultural resources.
For more information, visit www.NRPA.org. For digital access to NRPA’s flagship publication, Parks & Recreation, visit www.parksandrecreation.org.
For more information about the OrganWise Guys education program, please contact Roger Steinbrock, marketing Supervisor, at (785) 832-3458.
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