One in five children is ​“food-insecure,” meaning they lack reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food. Many families rely on free and reduced lunch programs for one or more of their children’s daily meals. In the summer, this can create growing hunger and subsequent declines in children’s physical and mental health.

In our film, It Takes A Community, we explore how community partnerships provide students with greater access to everything from educational opportunities to basic needs.

The efforts of the Food Bank for the Heartland, as featured in the film, and the federal Summer Food Service Program help alleviate hunger during the summer.

The Food Bank for the Heartland is a nonprofit which organizes and distributes food to 600 local food pantries, schools, emergency shelters, and other nonprofit partners. Headquartered in Omaha, they work with the community to procure food donations from individuals, organizations, grocery stores, food manufacturers and distributors, the USDA, and Feeding America. To supplement food donations, the Food Bank also accepts monetary contributions.

They conduct several programs directly, including the Mobile Pantry featured in our film, the BackPack program, Kid’s Café, and Kid’s Cruisin’ Kitchen. Kid’s Cruisin’ Kitchen serves free, nutritious meals for children throughout the summer at 16 locations throughout the Omaha metro area.

The Summer Food Service Programs aims, not only to keep low-income children fed when they can’t get meals at school, but to keep them healthy, active, and engaged. They offer nutritious, free meals to children age 18 and younger through public and private nonprofit summer programs across the country.

The Food Bank of the Heartland

A visit to the Food Bank for the Heartland website gives you access to an interactive map of year-round site locations and pantries. They also offer a complete schedule of locations and times for their summer food program, Kid’s Cruisin’ Kitchen, so families can make sure their children don’t miss a meal.

The Summer Food Service Program

Sponsors of the Summer Food Service Program receive funds and resource kits to help them supply meals and snacks that meet the USDA’s nutrition standards to low-income children for free. Many of the sponsor sites are also centers of educational, enrichment, and recreational activities that aim to keep kids engaged and safe during the summer months.

Examples of sponsor sites include:

• schools
• camps
• boys and girls clubs
• kids cafes
• park and recreation centers
• vacation bible schools
• libraries
• community pools
• congregations
• YMCAs
• Head Start centers
• hospitals
• 21st century learning centers
• National Youth Sports programs at colleges and universities
• Upward Bound programs
• 4-H Clubs
• community action agencies
• food banks
• homeless shelters

To locate sites in your area, simply text FOOD to 877 – 877 or use the USDA Summer Meal Site Finder below

Food Bank for the Heartland 

Food Bank for the Heartland welcomes volunteers of all abilities. You may be asked to prepare simple meals, help organize and label donated food, or serve meals through their mobile pantries. Volunteers can register as an individual or as a group, making it a great opportunity for your organization, classroom, or family to give back together.

Donating your time isn’t the only way to help Food Bank for the Heartland stop hunger in Omaha. Food Bank for the Heartland is always looking for donations of food and money. 

A donation of a single dollar can provide up to 3 meals for a child. Monetary donations can be made easily online. 

Food donations are accepted Monday through Friday 8:00 am — 4:00 pm at the Food Bank for the Heartland​’s location on J street. Visit their website for a full address, resources for organizing a food drive at your school or workplace, and a list of the most needed items.

Summer Food Service Program

Organizations can participate as either a sponsored site or a food service site. Both kinds of sites receive resources for providing meals and conducting recreational and enrichment activities that aim to instill healthy habits.

Sponsored sites benefit from an arrangement with a sponsor organization who is approved to administer the program. This organization will determine if your site is eligible, provide training for your staff and management, arrange for meals to be prepared or delivered, monitor your site, and prepare claims for reimbursement.

Being a sponsored site includes the following responsibilities:

• attending your sponsor’s training
• supervising activities and meal services at your site
• distribute meals by following SFSP guidelines
• keep daily records of meals served
• store food appropriately
• keep the site clean and sanitary
• follow SFSP guidelines

If your organization is unable to provide the time and resources required to be a sponsored site, they can still make an impact as a food service site. Food service sites receive prepared, delivered meals and resources for enrichment activities.

To find out more, visit the Summer Food Service Program website.