STRATEGIES FOR EXPANDING

AT-RISK AFTERSCHOOL MEALS SPONSORSHIP

KARA PANOWITZ, No Kid Hungry Maryland/ Share Our Strength MELISSA MOORE, Family League of Baltimore CityCLARISSA HAYES, Food Research and Action Center

Setting the Scene for Success Partnerships and Planning are Key Mapping and Targeting are Useful

Tools Advocacy and Communication is

Necessary

What is the At-Risk Afterschool Meals Program?• School or community site located in a low-income area

where at least 50% of the children are eligible for free or reduced price school meals.

• Serves children 18 and under• Must follow USDA nutrition guidelines• Programs must include an enrichment or educational

component

USDA

Ex: Food Bank

Ex: Baltimore

County Public

Schools

YMCA Community Center

ElementarySites

Sites- distribute meals to youth,

keep tally of # of students, train with sponsor to adhere to health

guidelines

MiddleSchool

s

High

Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE)- administers

program at state level

Sponsor- handles financial aspect, food procurement and distribution to sites

PartnershipsPartnerships can be school based or community based, traditional or non-traditional, formal or informal

• Traditional partner: School Food and Nutrition Services Office, Food Banks, Anti-hunger organizations

• Non-traditional partner: School Office of Engagement, Office of Attendance, RSVP volunteer organization

• Formal partner: Dept. of Social Services, Mayor’s Office of Neighborhoods

• Informal partner: “Community Champions.” These folks are the unofficial head of the neighborhood (Ex. the “Mayor” of Howard Park)

Planning Establish goals and regular communication Shared calendar Roles and responsibilities chart Timing- coordinate timely outreach, trainings, etc.

Maryland Partnership to End Childhood Hunger – How it Works!

Led by No Kid Hungry/ Share Our Strength MD and the Governor’s Office for Children

Established goals: serve10% of eligible students Meets bi-monthly, monthly newsletter, shared calendar What we do: outreach, address barriers, advocacy Partners include:

USDA, MSDE, Farmer’s Market Association, Department of Social Services, Food Banks, Maryland Out of School Time Network, Sponsors, Other Service Providers

MD At- Risk Afterschool Meals Workgroup

Meets monthly, monthly OST newsletter

What the group does- planning Outreach: newsletter, materials, presentations (i.e. Local Management Boards, Elected

officials) Address statewide issues such as health permits Connect groups statewide to increase sites and share ideas Leverage relationships Share opportunities (grants, webinars, conferences, etc).

Partners: USDA, Maryland State Dept of Education, Governor’s Office for Children Share Our Strength, Maryland Hunger Solutions, Family League of Baltimore Maryland Out of School Time Network, Food Banks Sponsors

County/ City Workgroups

What they do: Planning and partners!!! Increase awareness: outreach to potential sites Who’s involved: sponsors, school system Food and Nutrition Services,

sites, DSS, anti-hunger organizations, non-profits focused on youth, elected officials, PTA, faith-based groups, county health initiatives, local management board

Why local? knowledge of local area, connection to community

Finding the Sites What is the need? What is your capacity? Existing contacts Mapping-

1. USDA Capacity Builder2. Feeding America Mapping the meal gap3. State Agency Maps4. Partner lists- ex. Maryland Out of School Time Network

afterschool programs list

Conducting Outreach & Tracking Your Progress

Mailers are good -- meetings are better Who is my audience? Outreach form tracks dates of contact, roles, next

steps, concerns and solution

Afterschool Meals Advocacy Who is an advocate? Four Elements of Advocacy

Head Heart Hands Feet

Organize Site Visits

Develop Relationships with Elected OfficialsShare data

Share success stories

Spread the word

Write letters

Make calls

You are an advocate as long as you are spreading the word about the Afterschool Meals program!

Engage the public

Educate

Child Nutrition Reauthorization Current law expires September 30th, 2015 Opportunity to improve and strengthen this

program!

Resources Food Research and Action Center

FRAC.org No Kid Hungry/Share Our Strength http://bestpractices.nokidhungry.org/ USDA FNS

http://www.fns.usda.gov/cacfp/afterschool-meals http://www.fns.usda.gov/capacitybuilder

Afterschool Alliance http://www.afterschoolalliance.org

Questions for you! Who do you partner with?

What are your examples of effective advocacy? How do you engage elected officials and agency leaders?

How do you reach out to eligible sites?

Which groups/ organizations/ agencies will you reach out to when you get back home?

Kara Panowitz Melissa Moore

No Kid Hungry Maryland Family League of Baltimore Kpanowitz@strength.org Mmoore@familyleague.org

Clarissa HayesFood Research and Action Center

Chayes@frac.org