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Get your summer food here — Deltona Lakes Elementary will be one of the West Volusia sites for the Summer Food Service Program. The federal government provides funds, which are administered by the county, to assure that children who depend on school meals don't go hungry when school is out.
By Al Everson
posted May 28, 2009 - 9:43:00am
To head off hunger, Volusia County is working to provide meals during the summer to families whose children rely on school food to fill their bellies.
The county will use federal funds given to the Florida Department of Education to assure those children are fed when school is not in session.
The county will receive $634,880 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, funneled through the state agency, to nourish youngsters who are eligible to receive free and reduced-price breakfasts and lunches at their schools.
No county funds are involved. The County Council ratified the contract with the Florida Department of Education May 7.
County Community Assistance Director Ed Jasper said the program is based on the number of Title 1 schools in the area.
Title 1 refers to a provision in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. The Title 1 provision provides extra federal funding for schools with disproportionately higher percentages of children classified as impoverished.
Perhaps in tune with the general economic downturn, this year's summer feeding program is larger than the 2008 program, in terms of the size of the grant and the number of feeding locations. The grant is approximately $190,000 more than last year's amount.
The program will be in effect June 15 through Aug. 14. Whereas the Summer Food Service Program had about 50 sites last year, there are 73 sites around the county this year. Also, while last year the program had approximately 207,000 meals and supplements (morning and afternoon snacks), the upcoming program will offer almost 279,000 servings.
The county is contracting with a St. Petersburg company, G.A. Food Service Inc., to provide the food. The same company had the contract last year.
The Summer Food Service Program will require some extra workers. The county will hire 17 temporary workers, a full-time assistant coordinator and 16 part-time employees.
Among the local sites for the feeding program are these West Volusia locations:
• Blue Lake Elementary School, 918 S. Adelle Ave., DeLand
• Boston Avenue Charter School, 340 N. Boston Ave., DeLand
• Chisholm Community Center, 520 S. Clara Ave., DeLand
• The Boys & Girls Club of Spring Hill, 462 Green St., DeLand
• Earl Brown Park, 755 S. Alabama Ave., DeLand
• DeBary Elementary School, 88 W. Highbanks Road
• Deltona Lakes Elementary School, 2022 Adelia Blvd.
• Spirit Elementary School, 1500 Meadowlark Drive, Deltona
• Learning Bridge Academy, 2411 E. Graves Ave., Orange City
• St. Johns Missionary Baptist Church, 1835 Barton St., Seville.
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If you as a private citizen wish to give money to the poor, then that's great. That is entirely different from forced redistribution as a function of government, and THAT is the point of my original post. Please don't make assumptions about the charitable activities of me or others about which you know nothing. Only God and the IRS know that, and neither one is making that information public.
Just incase you might think I am on the low-end. I am very educated, a mother, have a family, and have many friends. I also follows my father (God's) laws. Through his law's we are suppose to help one another and it is not our place to judge; it is only his.
Thank you and may you find happiness and peace by finding the true meaning of life.
Our society continues to send a clear message that there is no penalty for being irresponsible and negligent - someone else will always be there to pick up the tab. This is just like the programs to reward those who took out home loans that they could not possibly afford - no penalty for being irresponsible.
Don't start with that "it's for the children" excuse. Programs like this just enforce the idea that not taking responsibility for your children is OK. Charity ceases to be charity when it increases the demand for itself.
In our march toward socialism, we continue to build incentives for irresponsibility. The productive, responsible citizens are beginning to realize that they are being played for fools. When the productive citizens begin to make decisions based on the those reverse incentives, there will be no more productive citizens to pay the bills. No amount of "hope and change" will save us at that point.
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