Toledo, OH, July 8, 2019 – Ohio Afterschool Network (OAN) will be visiting regions across the state during National Summer Learning Week, July 8-13. National Summer Learning Week is a celebration dedicated to elevating the importance of keeping kids learning, safe, and healthy every summer, ensuring they return to school in the fall ready to succeed in the year. This year, each day will focus on a new theme: Literacy, STEM, Arts, College & Career Readiness, and Nutrition and Wellness. Toledo, Ohio nonprofits, the Homer Hanham Boys and Girls Club and Connecting Kids to Meals, will be the focus of OAN’s visit to Northwest Ohio on Friday, July 12.
Connecting Kids to Meals, Partners in Education,
Boys and Girls Clubs of Toledo and many others are collaborators in
Summer Meal Partners (SMP). SMP is a group of area businesses, school
districts, nonprofits and faith partners dedicated
to ensuring that children ages 0-18 have access to healthy, nutritious
meals and high- quality programming during the summer months when school
is out.
“Research tells us that kids that lack regular nutrition are going to have academic, behavioral and health-related issues so we can help solve that by just making sure that they get access to food, and that’s what we’re all about with Summer Meal Partners,”, says SMP Spokesperson and President of Connecting Kids to Meals, Wendi Huntley. Connecting Kids To Meals is the fiscal agent for the community-wide collaboration which is in its fifth year.
Partners in Education serves as the Northwest Ohio Hub of the Ohio Afterschool Network and suggested that a Summer Meal Partners visit would be a great way to see how Northwest Ohio stakeholders work together to deliver nutrition and wellness during the summer months. OAN’s visit will give our region a chance to shine by demonstrating successful partnerships that provide high-quality programming with nutritious meals for children. The visit will begin at 10 AM with a tour of the Connecting Kids to Meals meal preparation facility and then move to Homer Hanham Boys and Girls Club for meal service and programming.
Summer Meal Partners credits the Toledo Community Foundation for getting its start through a Strategic Alliance Partnership grant. In 2019, the Summer Meal Partners funding organizations including local businesses and non-profits including Mercy Health, TARTA, Cumulus Media, The Juice, ProMedica, United Way, Toledo Public Schools, Washington Local Schools, Buckeye Health, OSU Extension and others. This year the program has 175 locations, both a calendar and printable site list with dates and times for meals and programming can be found at Partners in Education’s website at partnerstoledo.org.
