4-H Delivers

Summer Lunch Enrichment Project

The Issue

Sonoma County's 26,000 low-income students receive free or reduced-price lunches during the school year, and then have no source of discounted food during the summer. For some children, this means they have no complete, balanced meals during school breaks.

What has 4-H Done?

Sonoma County 4-H members and the Redwood Empire Food Bank created a 10-week summer meals program to provide free, healthy meals to low-income Sonoma County youth. In the summer of 2010, the program served over 92,000 meals during the 10-week program, a 22 percent jump from what they served in 2009.

4-H members visited four different lunch sites and set up activity tables where children and their families participate in a variety of activities, ranging from gardening to painting, puzzles to bubbles, and other science activities. One of the lunch sites had over 80 regular youth attendees who received lunch and participated in the 4-H led activities.

Teens and adults participated by developing and providing weekly art activities for 6 weeks during the summer. This service-learning opportunity and a positive leadership experience for Sonoma County 4-H members. If the enrichment activities were not provided by 4-H, many of these children would return home after lunch to empty homes with little to do.

The Payoff

The program offers much more than just a free lunch to the kids—they have the chance to engage in physical activity, learn in the garden, play games, practice creativity through arts and crafts, and connect with nature. The Summer Lunch Enrichment project targets underserved youth and provides experiential learning and a healthy meal. Participants socialize, learn about science activities, and remain in an educational, supervised environment—opportunities they may not otherwise have access to.

Author: Annalee Sanborn, Student Assistant, State 4-H Office