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Problem Solving: Where are the Kids?
Does this sound familiar to you? “We’ve distributed fliers, we put up a sign and we made the food but the kids still aren’t showing up,” the sponsor says. “Maybe they aren’t all that hungry after all.” The fact is that kids in your community probably are hungry, but whether or not they will choose to come to your site is all in the details…
Location Issues
Problem
Are there significant physical barriers to access?
Look for problems like busy streets that cut off access to your site for children, fences or other boundaries that make entry difficult, access problems for children or parents with physical disabilities, or safety concerns.
Solutions
Find crosswalk volunteers to help get kids across the street. Put up signs on the fences pointing in the direction of the fence opening. You could also take the food to the kids by creating a mobile feeding site! Or, you could set up a Walking Lunch Bus Program where volunteers walk around and gather the kids from their neighborhoods and they all walk together to the site. Then, they all walk home together as well.
Problem
Are there a lot of children near your site?
A common mistake is locating a site in a qualifying school area—but not in the neighborhoods where the children actually live.
Solutions
When identifying possible site locations, look at more than just the eligibility rate of the school area. Try to look for neighborhoods where many eligible children live. Ask families in the community if they would take advantage of the summer food site and why as well as what their needs are. Looking at Census data using the Summer Food Target Mapper < http://216.55.182.132/FairData/SummerFood/map.asp?command=scope&map=0> is also a helpful way to pinpoint areas that would most benefit from Summer Food Programs.
Food Quality Issues
Problem
Is the food fresh and of good quality?
Is that apple crunchy and sweet, or mealy and bland? Did the peanut butter sandwich have enough time to thaw out before it was served? Do the best you can to ensure that food quality does not fall victim to a small budget and tight schedules.
Solutions
Buy and prepare your food fresh. Better yet, talk to your local Farmers’ Market to see if they will donate or supply you with fresh fruit and veggies!
Problem
Are the meals kid-friendly?
If you have children at home, you know that kids will often turn up their nose at food even if they’re hungry. Evaluate your menu from a child’s perspective. Are there small changes you can make to ensure that the meals are tasty while still meeting nutritional standards?
Solutions
Serve dip with your fresh vegetables! Offer chocolate milk as an option - at least they’re getting the calcium. If you are a returning Summer Food sponsor, look at your menu from last year and see what days you had a lot of waste and what days you had little waste. Try to tailor your menu to include more of those foods that kids preferred. If you are a new Summer Food sponsor, ask more experienced sponsors about their experience creating menus that kids will love and come back for.
Problem
Is there enough variety in the menu?
Turkey sandwiches and PB&J get old, fast. You probably don’t want to eat the same foods every week and children at your program don’t want to either. At some point they’ll stop coming back even if they’re hungry.
Solutions
Offering a combination of hot and cold meals is the quickest way to get a child’s attention. Or, talk to other sponsors and compare notes on menus that work for them. Ask your state agency representative or other meal programs about ways to include non-sandwich menu options. Have a barbecue or offer different ethnic dishes. Try having theme menus or feature new fruits and vegetables regularly.
Physical Appearance and Visibility Issues
Problem
Is your meal service area easily visible to people passing by?
Take an honest look at your location—if you were a child or parent passing by on the street, would you be able to spot it? If the site is at the back of your apartment complex, are their signs pointing the way from the street? If it’s inside a school building, will children have trouble making their way through a maze of doorways and halls to reach the food service area?
Solutions
There are so many opportunities for creativity here! Have kids at your program engage in a little “street outreach” by holding up large banners and balloons at the nearest intersection. Think about moving the site to the first floor or, better yet, outside. If the site must be inside the building, make sure you have plenty of signs pointing visitors in the right direction. Keep the door – or multiple doors - to the outside open and hang a ‘Summer Food is OPEN’ sign in the window or on the door. Make it look as welcoming as possible.
If your site is part of a big facility such as a park or large apartment complex, you may need to really make an extra effort to find people. We’ve seen staff at sites in enormous parks sitting and waiting for kids, while on the other site of the park hungry kids have no idea that a free lunch awaits nearby. If you are one of these sites, try having a really big, colorful banner that is visible from far away to attract families over to your area of the park, or make it a practice to send volunteers or staff around the area to let people know that lunch is starting.
Problem
Will your site be at an apartment complex or a service agency?
Although apartment complexes and organizations serving families seem to be natural locations, think about whether the site appears to be on private property or only open to a select group of people. If so, you will probably have a hard time drawing any children from outside the building or the program.
Solutions
What’s your target number of children? Will you have enough children from this one location to sustain your site or do you need more? Many apartment sites work great but it takes extra time and energy to recruit neighborhood children from down the street. Add fun activities & games and go out to talk to kids and families from the neighborhood—the kids will come. Hang signs that say ‘All kids welcome’ or ‘free food for all youth’.
Problem
Does it look like a “fun” place to be?
Summer is a time of relaxation and exploration. Kids won’t come if it looks boring or if the activities are for a different age group.
Solutions
One young girl at a park site told us she first started coming when she noticed what looked like a party at the park—bright signs, lots of activity, music playing and other kids laughing and running around. These are the sort of things that will attract new kids to your program. Implementing activities into your Summer Food site will increase participation – it will keep the kids coming back and attract new kids as they hear about a fun program that their friends went to.
Staffing Issues
Problem
Is staffing adequate for the number of kids who are expected?
Make sure you have enough adult supervision to ensure that the kids don’t get out of hand and that the site feels like a safe place to be.
Solutions
Recruit teachers, college students, teens looking for work experience, stay at home parents and grandparents—anyone who likes children and has lots of energy! Coordinate with your sponsor to be able to give free meals to volunteers like parents or teachers who come to help. Or consider charging a small fee ($1-$4) for adults to eat at the Summer Food site. This will encourage families to come together and will provide more adult supervision. Kids also love eating with parents, teachers, and adults during the summer because many rarely get the chance to have those types of positive adult interactions.
Problem
Is your site staff good at working with the children and their parents?
Do the families feel this is a warm and friendly environment that is fun and safe?
Solutions
This is a critical but sometimes overlooked factor. The most popular sites have staff and volunteers who know the kids by name, ask about their weekend or why they haven’t been coming, look them in the eye when they hand out the lunches, and can play a mean game of checkers. It can make the difference between a site that feels like a “free meal” program, and one that feels like a picnic with friends. Make sure staff understands the importance of the food program and how their attitude and involvement can make a significant difference in the life of a child.
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