HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-06-27 Proclamation - Summer Meals Week
WHEREAS, summer is the hungriest time of year for many children when families struggle to make up for
lost school meals and food insecurity tends to increase; and
WHEREAS, More than 11.5% of Washington state residents struggle to provide enough food for their
families, and more than 17.3% of Washington children are food insecure, meaning that they do not have
regular access to adequate food; and
WHEREAS, low-income families spend an additional $300 per month in the summer months to provide food
for themselves and their children; and
WHEREAS, children who are food insecure are more likely to miss school, perform worse academically,
experience social, emotional, and mental health challenges, forego healthcare, and develop chronic disease;
and
WHEREAS, the National School Lunch Program Seamless Summer Option and the Summer Food Service
Program, which are funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and administered by the Office for
Superintendent of Public Instruction in Washington, play a vital role in helping low-income children get the
nutrition they need during the summer months, and help alleviate food insecurity; and
WHEREAS, summer meal programs are most effective when paired with educational and enrichment
activities, which provide students a fun, safe place to be with friends and stay active, help curb the learning
loss experienced during the summer months, especially among low-income children, and prepare students
to return to school ready to learn and thrive; and
WHEREAS, summer meal programs filled a critical need in communities during the COVID-19 pandemic
thanks to program flexibilities that allowed them to adapt and provide nutritious meals to children facing
hunger; and
WHEREAS, in the 2020-2021 school year 34.8% of students in King County qualified for free and reduced-
price lunch, yet only 19% of youth in Washington state who qualified for free and reduced-price meals
accessed summer meals site; and
WHEREAS, the city of Tukwila is committed to ensure that no child goes hungry this summer.
NOW THEREFORE, I, Allan Ekberg, Mayor of the City of Tukwila, do hereby proclaim June 27, 2022 – July 1,
2022 as:
Summer Meals Week
in the City of Tukwila and encourage all community residents to join me in recognizing this special
observance.
Presented this 27th day of June, 2022.
______________________________________
Allan Ekberg, Mayor
Office of the Mayor
City of Tukwila, Washington PROCLAMATION