On Tuesday August 19th Senator Dave Reichert got a
taste of what a summer meal program is like- literally! He spent his lunch time
at Entiat Valley Community Services Food Bank joining parents, kids,
volunteers, food bank staff and hunger advocates to talk about the importance
of summer meals. Sen. Reichert arrived, and after introductions, was served one
of the same lunches that the kids in attendance were getting that day. Everyone
was sitting at a long table - including all of the kiddos at one end. 
May Segle, the EVCSFB director, then told the story of their
summer meal program. After attending a workshop about summer meals at a
Washington Food Coalition annual conference, May felt inspired to start her own
site. It was hard! Their first year only served 69 meals, and it was difficult
to feel like they were making a difference. So May researched how other summer
meal programs down the west coast, and even reaching as far as Texas, became
successful. She focused on reaching out to rural programs. Entiat is a rural
area, and they face issues that urban meal programs might not. Namely,
transporting food to satellite sites to reach as many kids as possible, extreme
weather conditions, and creating community awareness about the program. After
May’s research she returned the next summer determined to feed a lot of hungry
kids, and she did! The second year they served 340 meals, last year they served
890 meals and this year they have already surpassed that mark. Reichert
exclaimed, “You’re an angel!” as May explained her hard work over the past 30
years that she has dedicated to fighting hunger and poverty in her community. 
May’s work will be made much easier if the Summer Meals Act of
2014 is enacted. This legislation would enable the program to reach more kids
and provide meals more often. It would also have a transportation grant fund,
which is essential for programs like May’s whose kids are spread out over a
rural landscape. Lastly, it would allow for a seamless transition for a site to
go from serving summer meals to afterschool snacks (at the moment it requires
re-registration and a ton of paperwork!). We are currently only feeding 1 in 7
kids over the summer who are normally fed during the school year. This is
unacceptable, and Senator Reichert agreed. Reichert shared his background in
law-enforcement and his own tumultuous adolescence facing hunger as a runaway.
He viewed May’s program as a crime prevention measure. He made the connection
that kids who are not hungry and who spend time in constructive and supportive environments,
like those provided by summer meal sites across the nation, have a chance at
staying out of trouble with the law and leading fulfilling lives. With his
support of the Summer Meals Act of 2014, Washington has a chance to break away
from its current ranking of 39th in the nation for summer meals participation.
Entiat Valley Community Services Food Bank has an amazing array of
services that they provide in addition to summer meals. To learn more please
visit their website here!
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