Coalition History, Mission & Objectives
Background on the Summer Meal Program Coalition
CCRWF has joined with organizational leaders from throughout California to form the Summer Meal Program Coalition, a new statewide network of leaders and organizations united to combat hunger and obesity by increasing access to subsidized summer meal programs. Nutrition education will be integrated into all aspects of our work.
Members of the Coalition include:
▪ California Department of Education
▪ California Association of Food Banks
▪ California School Boards Association
▪ California Afterschool Network
▪ Bay Area Partnership
▪ California Food Policy Advocates
▪ Food Research Action Center (in DC)
▪ Redwood Empire Food Bank
▪ San Diego Unified School District
▪ YMCA of Silicon Valley and more!
Our Mission
To combat hunger and obesity by increasing access to nutritious, subsidized summer meals by building capacity to serve more low-income working families.
Why We United
Throughout the nation and in California, more people are unemployed, applications for welfare and other poverty assistance programs have increased, and lines in food banks are longer. As more families face poverty and hunger, more families are eligible for subsidized meal programs — and it is critical that these programs reach those in need.
How We Were Formed
For many years, the California Department of Education’s Nutrition Services Division, which is responsible for administering summer meal programs, has been dedicated to increasing sponsors and sites for its summer meal programs. In 2009, through the leadership of Director Phyllis Bramson-Paul, the Division launched a new approach — hosting a Retreat and launching a Coalition with partners who have a shared commitment to preventing hunger, promoting nutrition and preventing obesity.
The First Summer Meal Program Retreat
On October 2, 2009, leaders from throughout California met in West Sacramento to identify strategies to help more low-income families access subsidized, nutritious summer meals available through the California Department of Education.
Participants included leaders from state and local food banks, school districts, and summer program/after-school agencies, as well as state and federal policy experts. A day of constructive dialogue focused on the opportunities and challenges of providing meals through the state’s Summer Meal Program, and resulted in the following set of practical, forward-looking goals:
Goal One: Conduct a Statewide Outreach and Recruitment Campaign to Increase the Number of Sponsors and Sites for Summer Meal Programs
Goal Two: Develop and Implement a Small Scale, Targeted Pilot with Objectives of Developing a Tool Box of Model Practices and Increasing Program Participation
Goal Three: Identify Short, Medium and Long-Term Regulatory Barriers, including Paperwork Reduction
Goal Four: Identify Ongoing Leadership/Group to Facilitate Change
Goal Five: Coordinate to Provide Nutrition Education through Summer Meal Programs
Our Objectives for 2010
Retreat participants continued their dialogue after October convening, and subsequently formed the Summer Meal Program Coalition. Because of the recession’s impacts on poverty and hunger, the Coalition is committed to working together to increase access to subsidized meals for low-income families in Summer 2010. Below are the objectives of the work plan developed by the Coalition for 2010.
Organize and Co-Host Orientation Webinars: To attract new summer meal program sponsors and sites, the Coalition will conduct an unprecedented campaign to promote the program. Orientation webinars will be used to introduce organizations to the Summer Meal Program and to showcase the philosophies, practices and successes of successful sponsors.
The orientations will be developed with and tailored to our three network partners - school districts, summer programs, and food banks. For example, for the food bank webinar, we will collaborate with the California Food Bank Association to develop the webinar and work with them to reach out to their members and secure participation.
Each orientation webinar will feature an introductory PowerPoint from the Nutrition Services Division and presentations from two sponsors. We will host six Orientation Webinars (two for each network partner), and they be held in March 2010.
Update: Due to funding constraints, one comprehensive webinar was hosted by the Coalition on April 7.
Develop Web-Accessible Tool Kits: Coalition members believe that organizations will be more likely to sign on as sponsors and sites if they don’t have to “reinvent the wheel,” but can utilize the materials and best practices of other organizations. To that end, we will work to develop two case studies and “tool kits” for each of our network partners. For example, working with the California Food Bank Association, the Redwood Empire Food Bank and the Los Angeles Food Bank, we will develop two case studies that showcase materials used for start-up, administration, media and community outreach, programming, and nutrition education. The tool kits will be available in April 2010.
Develop a Summer Meal Program Web Page: We will develop a website page dedicated to the Summer Meal Program Coalition. All of the case studies and tool kits will be posted or linked to, and other resources will also be made available, including links to CDE and USDA resources and regulations. The web page will be accessible in April 2010.
Develop and Co-Host Webinars to Showcase Case Studies and Tool Kits: Working with each of the three network partners, we will organize webinars that profile the case studies and toolkits, and allow ample time for dialogue. Two case study webinars will be held for each network partner. These six webinars will be held in April and May 2010.
Update: Three comprehensive case studies and tool kits were featured in the webinar hosted by the Coalition on April 7.
Organize and Facilitate TA Networks: Through conference calls and/or list-serves, the Coalition will set up a simple and non time-intensive process that allows new sponsors and sites to get advice and technical assistance from experienced and successful programs. A TA Network will be set up for each network partner. The Networks will be active from May through August.
Facilitate Summer Meal Program Convenings in Two Counties: We will support local leaders in two communities organize a Summer Meal Program Convening to plan for increased partnership to increase the number of of sponsors and sites serving nutritious subsidized meals during the summer to low-income families.
Update: Funding has not yet been identified for county convenings in 2010.
Organize Three Nutrition Education/Physical Activity Webinars in Summer 2010: We will work with Coalition members and experts to identify priority nutrition education and physical activity messages (and sets of materials) for Summer 2010. The objective is not to develop new materials, but to make existing and tested materials available to providers of subsidized summer meal programs. By collaborating on a small set of prioirty messages, we hope to contribute to a coordinated nutrition education/physical activity campaign for Summer 2010.
Organize and Host the 2010 Summer Meal Program Retreat: The Coalition is intent on evaluating its work in 2010 and developing plans for 2011. We will asses the success of our webinars, tool kits and local convenings in helping to increase the number of summer meal program sponsors and sites. We will also identify new approaches to integrate nutrition education into summer meals and explore options for expanding our partnerships with local communities.
