UNGSummer Food Service Program

Abstract

The University of North Georgia, a regional multi-campus institution and premier senior military college with a mission that includes community service and engagement, seeks to meet the social and economic needs of the region it serves.

Poverty, low educational attainment, and food insecurity are significant issues for families and children living in Hall and Lumpkin Counties. More than fifty percent of school-aged children in the region the university serves experience food insecurity and qualify for free or reduced meals at school. To help alleviate hunger and malnutrition and address the negative effects that hunger and malnutrition have on an individual's health, educational development, and growth the Nutrition Services Division of Bright from the Start administers the Summer Food Service Program (BFTS-SFSP) in Georgia during the summer months. BFTS-SFSP is a federal nutrition program funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to ensure that children have access to nutritious meals during the summer when school is not in session.

Since Summer 2012 the University of North Georgia has been Bright from the Start Summer Food program Sponsor, partnering with our community to bring meals and supplemental foods to children and their families in our region in an effort to improve the overall nutritional status of our most vulnerable children, help alleviate hunger and malnutrition, and address the negative effects that hunger and malnutrition have on an individual's health, educational development, and growth. UNG Human Services Delivery and Administration program students lead and facilitate the program, and community partners include the United Way of Hall County, Georgia Mountain Food Bank, Forsyth County Schools, and Legacy Link – the Area Agency on Aging, Cumming First United Methodist Church, Hayes and Ellis Automotive groups.

This presentation highlights the UNG Summer Food Service Program efforts to ameliorate food insecurity and our work in the areas of community engagement, service learning, and intergenerational programming.