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Ohio Afterschool
Network Pays a Visit to Northwest Ohio’s Summer Meal
Partners for Summer Learning Week
Ohio Afterschool Network (OAN) will be visiting regions across the
state during National Summer Learning Week, July 8-13. National
Summer Learning Week is a celebration dedicated to
elevating the importance of keeping kids learning, safe, and
healthy every summer, ensuring they return to school in the
fall ready to succeed in the year. This year, each day will
focus on a new theme: Literacy, STEM, Arts, College & Career
Readiness, and Nutrition and Wellness. Toledo, Ohio
nonprofits, the Homer Hanham Boys and Girls Club and
Connecting Kids to Meals, will be the focus of OAN’s visit
to Northwest Ohio on Friday, July 12.
Connecting Kids to Meals,
Partners in Education, Boys and Girls Clubs of Toledo and
many others are collaborators in Summer Meal Partners (SMP).
SMP is a group of area businesses, school districts,
nonprofits and faith partners dedicated to ensuring that
children ages 0-18 have access to healthy, nutritious meals
and high- quality programming during the summer months when
school is out.
“Research tells us that
kids that lack regular nutrition are going to have academic,
behavioral and health-related issues so we can help solve
that by just making sure that they get access to food, and
that’s what we’re all about with Summer Meal Partners,”,
says SMP Spokesperson and President of Connecting Kids to
Meals, Wendi Huntley. Connecting Kids To Meals is the
fiscal agent for the community-wide collaboration which is
in its fifth year.
Partners in Education
serves as the Northwest Ohio Hub of the Ohio Afterschool
Network and suggested that a Summer Meal Partners visit
would be a great way to see how Northwest Ohio stakeholders
work together to deliver nutrition and wellness during the
summer months. OAN’s visit will give our region a chance to
shine by demonstrating successful partnerships that provide
high-quality programming with nutritious meals for
children. The visit will begin at 10 AM with a tour of the
Connecting Kids to Meals meal preparation facility and then
move to Homer Hanham Boys and Girls Club for meal service
and programming.
Summer Meal Partners
credits the Toledo Community Foundation for getting its
start through a Strategic Alliance Partnership grant. In
2019, the Summer Meal Partners funding organizations
including local businesses and non-profits including Mercy
Health, TARTA, Cumulus Media, The Juice, ProMedica, United
Way, Toledo Public Schools, Washington Local Schools,
Buckeye Health, OSU Extension and others. This year the
program has 175 locations, both a calendar and printable
site list with dates and times for meals and programming can
be found at Partners in Education’s website at
partnerstoledo.org.
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