The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board and Arby’s Foundation Help Fight Child Hunger

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board and Arby’s Foundation Help Fight Child Hunger

More than 50 local youth participate in North Commons Park free summer meal event

 

On Tuesday, June 25, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board’s Summer Meals Program and the Arby’s Foundation ‘Hungry for Happiness’ Mobile Tour visited North Commons Park to help raise awareness about the issue of childhood hunger and increase participation in the MPRB’s free summer meals sites.

Local youth attendees were provided with a Kids LiveWell endorsed Arby’s Kids Meal which included a turkey and cheese sandwich, apple slices and a Shamrock Farms low-fat milk.

The Hungry for Happiness provided youth with activities such as bean bag toss, muscle station, jump ropes, tug-of-war, Hula for Happiness, basketball, boom blaster, balloon burst, arts and crafts and Wii games. Sunglasses, backpacks, hats and books were also given away to attendees.

In Minnesota, only 14 percent of school children who rely on free or reduced-price school lunches during the school year currently participate in summer meal programs. The 2013 Minneapolis Parks Summer Meals Program has 34 sites throughout the Minneapolis park system that offers free meals mid-June to mid-August to youth ages 18 and younger.

The MPRB sites serve breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner with the times and types of meals served varying by site and are available on a first-come-first-serve basis. Select sites serve reduced-waste meals, which focused on reducing both food and packaging waste. A full list of all the Summer Meals Program sites can be found here.