How Parks and Rec Served Over 85 Million Meals — Episode 021

On today's episode, we're talking about the importance of summer
meal programs and the impact that parks and recreation is making
in communities across the country through the Summer Food Service
Program. We're joined by Allison Colman, NRPA's health and
wellness program manager. Allison oversees NRPA's out-of-school
time portfolio, including the Commit to Health campaign and our
work on the USDA Child Nutrition Programs. We also speak with
Colleen Lammel-Harmon, Chicago Park District's Wellness Manager,
and Kelsie Kliner with the Greater Chicago Food Depository about
what the're doing in Chicago to improve access to food in
communities across the city.


As one of the largest providers of meals during out-of-school
times, park and recreation agencies are making significant
impacts in their communities.


Thanks to funding from the Walmart Foundation — NRPA's biggest
partner in the fight against childhood hunger — we've worked
to increase the capacity of our local park and recreation
agencies to reach more at-risk youth, serving over 85 million
meals to over 4.5 million unique children in 310 cities.