Federal funding will feed summer meals to 900K students

*Correction: A previous version of this article’s headline misidentified the origin of the funding. It is federal funding. We regret the error, which has been fixed.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — At the Boys and Girls Club in Grand Rapids, Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Lansing, announced new funding to help school-age children receive summer meals while school is not in session.

The new funding will bridge the “summer hunger gap” by providing meals for an estimated 900,000 students in Michigan and 21 million nationwide, according to a release from the senator’s office.

The outgoing senior senator talked about the importance of making sure children have adequate nutrition even when free school lunches are not available.

“The challenge for all of us, the challenge actually for our country, is that we have more than 44 million people who struggle with hunger every day in our country. A million, in fact, are Michiganders and one out of six kids … in Michigan don’t know where they’re going to have their next meal,” Stabenow said.

Stabenow said she and her colleagues have approved funding for three separate programs in which low-income families might participate.

To find summer meals and rural meals to-go sites near you, visit the state’s Meet Up and Eat Up tracker , text “food” to 304304 or call 211. More information about Summer EBT or summer meal programs for families and site sponsors can be found at the state’s website.

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