News
June 15, 2016Celebrating 22 Years of Providing Free Summer Meals for Schenectady’s Kids
When school is out for the summer, where do Schenectady kids eat breakfast or lunch? At home? At daycare? At summer camp? For 80% of students in the Schenectady City School District—those who qualify for free or reduced-price meals—breakfast or lunch may not be eaten in any of those places. During the school year, every child who attends the City Schools gets free breakfast and lunch, thanks to the District’s choosing the Community Eligibility Option through the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). The same holds for the SICM Summer Meals program—all are eligible. From June 27 through September 2, breakfast and lunch will be served at many sites around the city of Schenectady (and at Collins Park in Scotia), and that’s where you’ll find the kids eating.
New this year! SICM is offering breakfast on a pilot basis at 5 community sites—Yates Village, Steinmetz Park, Ellis Hospital (McClellan site), Wallingford Park and Jerry Burrell Park. Please see the attached schedule for exact times. Like the prior summer lunch programs, all youth 18 and under are welcome.
Many of our children are in households of poverty—over 50%. Too often, the lunch is their first meal of the day, which is why we seek to add breakfast. When asked why, some responded that there was not much food in the house, or that their parent was already at work when they got up. Some children are allowed out of the house only for a meal.
The program starts on Monday, June 27, with many of the sites, including the Mobile Meal vehicles, in full swing. However, not all sites operate on the same schedule, so please check the attached schedule.
The official kickoff to the program (for Schenectady) will be held on Thursday, July 7, at 12:00pm at Jerry Burrell Park (Schenectady and Hamilton Streets). A press conference will take place and include remarks from local dignitaries. There will be a bounce house, free snow cones and bubbles for children and, of course, lunch.
Also new this year: a Mid-summer Mac and Cheese Throw Down will be held on August 3rd. The Mac and Cheese Throw Down will have 4 area restaurants competing for the title of Best Mac and Cheese in Schenectady. The event will be held at 4 different sites. More details on the event will be forthcoming as the date gets closer.
New this year as well will be the SICM Reading Program at some of the meal sites. Two interns, sponsored by area congregations, will bring books to read and share. SICM received a grant from the NYS Newspaper Foundation to provide for the books. Donations of children’s books, however are always welcome (please, only new or gently used).
Now in our 22nd year, the SICM free summer food service feeds children throughout Schenectady. Meals are served at locations specifically targeted to reach the largest number of at-risk children. The NY State Education Department and the U.S. Department of Agriculture fund SICM’s summer food service program, with additional support from the United Way of the Greater Capital Region and the City of Schenectady’s Community Development Block Grant program. Mobile Meal vehicles were provided through special support from the United Way of the Greater Capital Region, the Carlillian Foundation, and the Wright Family Foundation.
All meals are available to youth 18 and under. Last year an average of almost 2000 children each day received free lunch; we anticipate serving more this summer. There is no enrollment or sign up required; however, the breakfast or lunch is available only for the youth.
For 2016, the program will run Monday through Friday each week from June 27th– September 2nd (with the exception of July 4). However, not all sites are open all of the weeks; please refer to the attached schedule (also distributed in the schools and available on the various websites, including SICM’s, the City of Schenectady and Schenectady County). In case of rain, each site has a sheltered area. The lunch food is a variety of hot and cold lunches, following a menu which mirrors that of the meals children receive in school; for breakfast, all are served cold. The vendor for this year’s program is Whitson’s Culinary Group, which won the competitive bidding process.
SICM serves food at some city parks: Quackenbush, Jerry Burrell, Central, Hillhurst, Wallingford, Steinmetz, and Woodlawn Park, located at Kings Road/Ricci Ave., (only open on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday), and at three of the city’s municipal housing locations: Yates Village, Steinmetz Homes, and MacGathan Townhouses. Other sites include: Faith United Methodist Church (Eastern & Brandywine), Trinity Lutheran Church (Central State Street Ecumenical Cluster, Furman Street), Friendship House (955 State Street), Faith Deliverance Tabernacle Church (Ostrander Place in Mont Pleasant), Schenectady County Public Library downtown, State Street Presbyterian Church (Catherine & State Streets), the New Day Christian Empowerment Center (Mont Pleasant), the miSci Museum (the Museum of Innovation and Science; formerly the Schenectady Museum), New Bethel COGIC (2020 Broadway), MLK School (918 Stanley Street), and the Hamilton Hill Arts Center (Schenectady Street). Other continuing sites for the summer include Lincoln Elementary School (2 Robinson Street), Bellevue Reformed Church (2000 Broadway), and Refreshing Spring Church (327 Georgetta Dix Plaza).
SICM is providing the lunches at Collins Park in Scotia. This is in partnership with many churches in Scotia. We are grateful to the Union College Campus Protestant Ministry which kept the program going in previous years.
The fixed lunch sites depend on volunteers. By the end of the summer, 1000+ volunteers will have donated their time and effort to help feed Schenectady’s children in this broad-based community effort. In addition to serving food, volunteers are encouraged to interact with children through various activities such as story telling, playing games, doing arts and crafts, coloring, or playing with bubbles. Volunteers are needed—please call 374-2683, X108.
SICM is also working in collaboration with other programs running day camps at sites during the summer that provide activities for children. For example, the Boys and Girls Club of Schenectady has programs at Quackenbush, Hillhurst, and Steinmetz Parks. The Hamilton Hill Arts Center offers a summer program, and the YMCA runs a day program at Jerry Burrell Park. We are also working in collaboration with the County’s SCORE Camp at Central Park.
Schenectady Inner City Ministry (SICM) is a faith-based coalition of congregations founded in 1967 for programs of social service and social justice. SICM runs a host of programs serving the city and county, including the SICM Food Program and Pantry, Schenectady County Embraces Diversity, Schenectady CROP Walk, the Schenectady Damien Center (in partnership with the Albany Damien Center), and others. Some programs initiated by SICM and no longer under the SICM umbrella include Bethesda House of Schenectady, the Community Land Trust, and SAFE Inc. of Schenectady.
For more information, contact David Taylor, SICM Summer Meals Director, at 374-2683, ext. 103, or at dtaylor@sicm.us; Eileen Ploetz, Summer Meals Assistant Director at 374-2683, X108 or at summerlunch@sicm.us; Janet Mattis, SICM Community Outreach and Internship Coordinator at 374-2683, X107 or 466-7602 or jmattis@sicm.us, or SICM Executive Director, Rev. Phil Grigsby, at 374-2683, X111 or 441-1390.
