Nonprofits urged to get with food program Print E-mail

Web Posted: 06/10/2005 12:00 AM CDT
By Ron Wilson, Express-News Staff Writer

There are only two bad things about the summer meals program for kids: no white bread and no sodas.

"I'd change milk into sodas," said 9-year-old Peter Flores, "because they give us milk too much."

Aside from that, the program is OK, he said, adding that his favorite sandwich is "turkey ... ham ... baloney ... chicken."

Peter was at the Presa Community Center on Thursday where Eric M. Bost, the U.S. Agriculture Department's undersecretary for food, nutrition and consumer services, gave the kids a pep talk and encouraged nonprofit organizations to join in the program.

"This is a win-win for taxpayers," he said of the program that provides free meals to kids from 1 to 18.

"The kids get a nutritious meal in a safe place," he said. "And if they weren't here, where would they be?"

Bexar County Court at Law 7 Judge Monica Guerrero knows the value of the program firsthand.

"I was a free-lunch kid," she said.

The boost from that program helped her achieve her career goal.

But participation in the free-lunch program plummets during the summer.

"We serve 3 million kids in the summer," Bost said. "During the school year, we serve 29 million. That's a substantial gap. That's why we're looking for organizations to help."

The San Antonio Food Bank coordinates the program for the Presa center and about 50 other sites, said Elizabeth Lutri, who hopes to double the size of the program next year and expand to surrounding counties.

For Lutri, planning the summer meal program gets under way in January, when the food bank starts weeding out organizations that don't meet requirements, including consistent delivery of services, total nondiscrimination in who they serve, and a desire to help kids.

Organizations that want to work with the food bank on next year's program (this year is already full) can call Lutri at (210) 304-7523 or e-mail her at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

When told about Peter's idea for changing the program, Lutri chuckled.

"I guess that means that we're meeting our nutritional goals," she said. "If left alone, the kids would drink the sodas and rot their teeth. Here, they're getting real nutrition."

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